Bleach: Volume 75 - The End
by TDDolphin
Summary: Taking place after Chapter 684, what happened after Ichigo, Renji and Uryu worked together to defeat Yhwach? Find out in this extended retelling of Bleach's ending. This story is meant to resolve some of the plot holes that the canon ending left, and to give a more satisfying conclusion to Bleach. Pairings will also be different. Rated T for mild language and suggestive material.
1. Bleach 685 The End 3

**A/N: What's up Bleach fans! I'm TDDolphin, and this is my first time writing a story based off an Anime. Usually I primarily write stories for one cartoon series, but I figured I'd try something new since... well, in all honesty, as a MASSIVE fan of Bleach, who has been watching the anime since at least 2011 (a little late, I know), I was extremely disappointed with the Manga's recent ending. Not only did my 2 ships NOT happen, but I have no idea what happened to some of my favorite characters like Kisuke, Yoruichi, Grimmjow, Nel and Izuru, and there were plotholes galore. I was baffled by the decisions Tite Kubo had made for those last 2 chapters, and I'm not gonna lie, I am not happy at all with Chapters 685 and 686 (Though Rukia becoming a Captain was cool). Don't get me wrong, I still have mad love for Kubo for making this series, and I enjoyed all the canon episodes of the Bleach anime, but I can't except the ending he decided to write for it.**

 **That brings me to this story. What Bleach Volume 75 is essentially is my own ending for Bleach. Because this is my first time writing an Anime fanfic, and because I've only actually read up to Volume 67 and read summaries about the chapters after that, I'm kind of nervous. I did some research and even then I'm sure I'll get some things wrong. I know that in Japan it isn't customary to address people by their first names unless their dating or just know each other really well, but I'm used to writing the usual way when it comes to names so I'll just be doing that. I hope ya'll understand. But as a fan of Bleach, as someone who watched and enjoyed it damn near all the way through, and as someone who actually gives a shit about it's characters, I want to at least TRY to give the series the closure it deserves (I'll also be changing the canon couples up, so just warning people on that). So despite being an Anime fanfic-writing novice, I hope ya'll will give this story a chance.**

 **All right, that's enough explanation. Here's Part 1 of 5 (or 6, I'm still not sure) of Bleach Volume 75. Hope you all enjoy it :)**

* * *

 **Bleach 685. The End 3**

* * *

Ichigo had just cut Yhwach down with Zangetsu, which had reverted back to it's original Shikai form as Renji and Uryu looked on. The Substitute Soul Reaper glared at the Father of the Quincies as the latter's eyes had bulged from being cleaved down the middle. Yhwach then fell to his knees.

Ichigo held Zangetsu at the ready just in case, but looking down at the fallen Quincy King, a part of him knew that there was nothing to worry about anymore. It's job complete, the silver arrowhead Uryu fired began to fade, as Yhwach weakly rose his head to look at the person who had defeated him.

He chuckled weakly. "To think I'd be killed by the likes of you. A human..." Yhwach then turned to Renji. "A Soul Reaper lieutenant..." Yhwach turned around to gaze at the boy who he named his successor. "...and a Gemischte Quincy..."

A silver light began to glow around Yhwach's chest as the silver arrow disappeared into mist. The Quincy King's body began to fade into silver mist next, but not before he turned back to face his son born in the darkness. "How shameful." Those were the last words Yhwach spoke before his remains dissolved into the air.

It was over. It was finally over.

Ichigo remained silent for a moment before releasing a powerful sigh of relief. Then he felt his body go numb as his feet gave out on him. Luckily Renji had rushed over to catch him before his face hit the dirt.

"Whoa! Easy there, Ichigo!" Renji said as he draped Ichigo's arm over his shoulder. "Don't go falling on your face now."

"Shut up." Ichigo whispered, but Renji could see that the strawberry head was smirking. "I can stand just fine."

"I'd let Renji carry you, Ichigo." stated Uryu, who had approached them, pushing up his glasses with his finger. "It's pretty clear that you're not strong enough to walk on your own. And falling flat on your face doesn't make for a dignified victory pose."

"Shut up! No one asked you!" Ichigo snapped halfheartedly before he, Renji and Uryu laughed together for about a minute. Relief, sweet, sweet relief washed over both the Substitute Soul Reaper and Quincy. After the laughing had died down however, Renji's expression turned hard. "Hey Ichigo, did you notice?" the lieutenant asked his rival. Ichigo and Uryu looked at their friend curiously, unsure of what he meant. "Aizen's spirit energy." Renji elaborated.

Ichigo finally understood what Renji was talking about. "You're right... it's gone." he said calmly. "It's completely gone." Ichigo, Renji and Uryu looked out over the ruined Seireitei as the sun rose ever more over the horizon. "I guess he died with Yhwach, since he was absorbed by him and everything."

Renji couldn't help but smirk. "Talk about killing two birds with one stone. Or I guess in this case, two devils with one silver arrow and Zangetsu."

Ichigo smirked. "Don't ever get in the stand-up comedy business, Renji. You'd probably be booed out of the building." The redheaded lieutenant glared daggers at the substitute.

"I slightly agree with Renji's analogy," Uryu added his own two cents, making Renji laugh in triumph at Ichigo. "However poorly joked." This made Ichigo grin at the dejected Renji. "Let's just take a moment to appreciate that both Aizen and Yhwach are gone for good."

Ichigo frowned. "Tch. Fine." The three men stood in silence for a moment and just watched as the sun continued to rise. Then Ichigo turned to smirk at his rival. "Thank you, Uryu." Uryu looked surprised at the Substitute Soul Reaper. "I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't shown up with that arrow."

Uryu turned away calmly, and once again pushed his glasses up with his finger. "There's no need to thank me, Ichigo. I should be thanking you..." Uryu thought about his mother, and prayed that she could finally be at peace.

"Because of your mother?" Ichigo asked to Uryu's shock. How did he know? Ichigo explained. "My dad knows your dad, and he told me about what happened to her." Ichigo looked down as he whispered. "My mother was Masaki Kurosaki, and she was a Quincy who also died because of Yhwach."

Uryu was floored by this news. Ichigo's mother had been a Quincy? And she had died from the Auschwalen like his mother? "Really?" he found himself asking. Ichigo looked back up and nodded. Uryu just stared in disbelief for a moment before he found himself smirking. He found it interesting that his rival had had deeply hidden Quincy powers without him ever knowing about it.

Ichigo and Uryu, Soul Reaper and Quincy, natural enemies by occupation and yet still close friends, stood in silence once again with Renji, basking in the light of a brand new day of peace after having worked together to defeat their greatest foe. Masaki and Kanae had been avanged at long last, and their hope was that their mothers could finally rest in peace.

Then out of the blue, they heard a familiar voice. "Well done, Ichigo!"

Shocked, Ichigo, Uryu and Renji spun around at the sound of that familiar voice to see the gateway to the Valley of Screams open up to reveal Kisuke Uruhara and Yoruichi Shihoin. "Kisuke. Yoruichi." Ichigo said.

They looked slightly injured, and their clothing was desheveled, but they nonetheless looked alright. "You three did well." Kisuke congratulated the three heroes.

"What're you doing here?" Ichigo couldn't help but ask.

"We're here to pick you up, of course." Yoruichi answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We can move this Valley of Screams between the Royal Palace and the Soul Society, remember? Come on, we're going back to Orihime's location."

Uryu suddenly felt nervous. He wasn't sure he was ready to face Orihime just yet, especially after he remembered how hurt she had looked when she had seen him with Yhwach. It had sure hurt him to see her look like that.

"Hey, Uryu!" he heard his name. He looked up to see that Ichigo and Renji were already inside the Valley of Screams, and they were all waiting for him. "You coming or what?" Ichigo exclaimed. Uryu ran into the gateway with his friends as the Valley of Screams closed.

Ichigo looked around the modified room inside the Valley of Screams. Riruka and Yukio were standing close by one another on one side. On the other side of the room sat Grimmjow and Nel, the latter of which practically shrieked when she saw Ichigo.

"Ichigo!" Nel cried happily as she bound for him.

"Oh no." Ichigo panicked as the busty Espada tackled him to the ground once again. Nel gave Ichigo a bonecrushing hug as Riruka gasped indignantly at the green-haired Espada. Uryu and Renji just stared in confusion at this mysterious woman.

"N-Nel!" choked Ichigo as he was pretty sure Nel Had unintentionally broken his arm from the pressure of her hug. "Nel ease up, will ya'. You're killing me."

"But I'm so glad you're okay." Nel cried as she reluctantly let Ichigo go.

"Wait, that's Nel?" Renji suddenly said in shock. "That's that little kid we saved in Hueco Mundo two years ago? How did she get so big?" he then blushed. "And womanly?" Yoruichi smacked him upside the head painfully.

Kisuke approached Yukio and Riruka. "I think we're ready to go." he said to their Fullbringer drivers. "We'll go to Hueco Mundo first."

"Roger." Yukio said without much emotion. Their modified Valley of Screams started moving almost instantly.

"Hueco Mundo? This thing can go there?" asked Ichigo, getting up off the floor. Kisuke and Yoruichi nodded in response. "But I thought we were going back to the Royal Palace?"

"We are." Kisuke spun around to Ichigo. "But first we're gonna drop off Grimmjow, Nel and Harribel first."

"Harribel?" Uryu wondered. It was then that he, Ichigo and Renji looked over in another corner of the room and saw a woman sitting on the ground, looking over at them with hardened eyes. This woman had tanned skin and short blonde hair. It was the ruler of Hueco Mundo: Tier Harribel.

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked rather rudely.

"Tier Harribel." The Arrancar stated calmly, while still glaring at the Substitue Soul Reaper. "Former Number Three Espada under Aizen, until he betrayed me that is."

"So you're the ruler of Hueco Mundo that Nel was talking about?" Uryu stated.

"That's right, human. I was recently locked within the Silbern as Yhwach's prisoner until these people broke me out."

"Wait a minute! When did Kisuke find time to break you out of jail?" Ichigo asked spinning around to face the former Squad Twelve Captain.

"After the Vandenreich's second invasion of the Soul Society." answered Kisuke. "The Silbern was virtually left unguarded since all of the quincies were attacking the Seireitei, and after Yhwach left for Reiokyu, I had Grimmjow and Nelliel sneak inside to free Harribel while no one was paying attention."

"It was a boring job." said Grimmjow rather bitterly, making everyone turn to face him. The Sexta Espada stood up and approached Ichigo. "And now that that Quincy King bastard is dead, I see no reason as to why we can't settle the score from our last fight."

Ichigo frowned and gripped Zangetsu tightly as Grimmjow's expression became a look of bloodlust. However, Nel walked over and grabbed Grimmjow painfully by his blue locks. "Argh! What the hell do you think you're doing, you tramp!" snapped Grimmjow.

Nel paid no mind to the insult. "Down boy, now's not the time." Nel said calmly as she lectured Grimmjow like a mother lectured a misbehaving child. "Let Ichigo enjoy his victory, you can settle your score another time."

Grimmjow growled "Damn you..."

"Yeah, don't fight inside my dollhouse or I'll get mad and throw you out!" Riruka suddenly called over from her side of the room. "Besides, we've arrived at Hueco Mundo."

Everybody looked over at the Fullbringers just in time to see a gateway open up. Ichigo saw the white sands of Hueco Mundo, and the still damaged castle of Las Noches in the distance through the opening.

"All departing passengers may now remove their seatbelts." exclaimed Kisuke humorously, holding his fan up in front of his face. "We have arrived at Hueco Mundo."

Yoruichi rolled her eyes. "You're such a geek." she said with an amused grin.

Harribel got up from the floor and approached the gateway to her domain before turning around to face Ichigo, Renji and Kisuke. "Until the next time we meet Soul Reapers." was all that she said before she left the Valley of Screams.

Nel walked over to Kisuke and bowed. "Thank you for everything, Mr. Urahara."

Kisuke smiled "Now now, there's no need for thanks." he started cheerfully. "I was glad to get you back to your original form. I may I just say, you turned out to be a beautiful woman."

Yoruichi pounded her perverted friend in the head for his remarks. Nel however, paid no mind as she walked over to bid her other friends goodbye. "I hope we can see each other again soon, Ichigo." she said cheerfully as she gave him another crushing hug.

Renji snickered at the pained look on Ichigo's face. "Me too, Nel!" Ichigo gasped painfully.

The Number Three Espada finally let go of Ichigo, who began gasping for air, to say goodbye to Renji, Uryu and Yoruichi, before she headed for the exit to Hueco Mundo, where Grimmjow stood waiting. Nel turned around to wave one last time before she left.

The only one left now was Grimmjow. The Espada glared at Ichigo one final time before he turned to walk out of the Valley of Screams. It was then that the Substitute Soul Reaper called out to his rival. "Hey Grimmjow!"

Grimmjow Jaegerjacques had got one foot out the gateway before he stopped at hearing his name. He turned around and gazed hard at Ichigo, who was smirking.

"Let me know when you want a rematch." said Ichigo with determination. "I'll come fight you anytime you want."

Grimmjow was a little shocked by that statement. He didn't say anything for a moment, but then he too smirked. "You're on, Kurosaki." he said wickedly before he jumped out of the Valley of Screams. Renji, Uryu, Kisuke and Yoruichi grinned at Ichigo as the gateway to Hueco Mundo closed.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Seireitei, a lone Soul Reaper lieutenant had just taken a seat on the roof of one of the buildings close to Squad Four's barracks. In his hand he held a Zanpakto in the shape of a hook. He breathed a sigh as he looked over to see the sun breach past the horizon at last.

"What a beautiful morning." sighed Izuru Kira with a smile on his face.

Below him, littered across the ground were all of the bodies of the clones of that Sternritter who he had seen fall out of the sky. He wasn't sure how, but Izuru had managed to kill every single one. None of Lille Barro's clones had survived the night.

* * *

At the top of the Wahrwelt Palace. A small Soul Reaper lieutenant watched as the five cities that surrounded the former Reio Greater Palace began to change back to their original forms. The bridges that connected the Squad Zero Ridens to Wahrwelt cracked and fell in pieces down the seemingly endless sky below, and the ice surrounding the buildings began to melt.

A small smile spread across Rukia Kuchiki's face. "Ichigo, you did it." she whispered.

Rukia just knew that Ichigo had done it. The Wahrelt slowly converting back to the Reiokyu didn't need to tell her that Ichigo and Renji had won. The Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen turned around to see Orihime, Chad and Ganju behind her watch the last bits of Yhwach's empire vanish from the Royal Realm.

"What's going on?" Ganju asked aloud.

"The palace is changing back to normal." said Chad quietly.

"It's Ichigo." whispered a smiling Orihime, making Chad and Ganju look at her. "It has to be... He must've won!"

Rukia grinned at her friends. She was so focused on them in fact that she failed to hear the sound of a gateway opening up behind her until it was too late.

Ichigo had his head down as he stepped out of the Valley of Screams. He raised his head up at the same time that Rukia spun around to see what had startled her. When they finally noticed each other, their faces were only inches apart. They stood frozen for about thirty seconds, blushing like crazy, before the tiny Soul Reaper shrieked in shock, alerting a surprised Orihime, Chad and Ganju. Rukia fell on her butt, then looked up to look at the startled Ichigo. Their faces were still red.

"Oh, hey Rukia." Ichigo greeted casually. "Why'd you fall down?"

Rukia gazed at the strawberry head sternly as she got up quickly. "Why'd I fall down?! Idiot you snuck up on me and almost gave me a heart attack!"

Ichigo stepped out of the gateway as he retorted. "Idiot? You're the idiot. Why were you standing so close to the door?"

"Why did you make the door appear so close to me?!" Rukia snapped back.

"I didn't! Kisuke did!" Ichigo replied shortly as Uryu, Renji, Kisuke, Yoruichi, Riruka and Yukio all Stepped out of the Valley of Screams.

"Well, actually, it was Yukio who opened the gateway in that spot." Kisuke added humorously, holding his fan up to his face again. "I'm innocent here."

Yukio looked unemotional as he replied. "Whatever, guilty as charged. Sorry about that."

Rukia held her tongue as she continued frowning at the newcomers. Her face was still red as she thought back to how close her and Ichigo's faces had been to each other. Another three inches and they might've kissed accidently. Rukia's face turned even more red at that last thought.

Little did she know that Ichigo had been thinking the exact same thing.

Ichigo then looked up to see Orihime, Chad and Ganju staring right at them. Ganju smirked, Chad grinned and Orihime looked like she was about to cry.

"Ichigo..." Orihime choked as tears came to her eyes. She dashed over and wrapped her arms around the neck of the man she loved. "You're o-okay. I'm s-so glad."

"Hey, take it easy Orihime." Ichigo said gently, rather startled about why Orihime was hugging him. "I'm alright, you don't need to cry."

Everyone stood by and watched the sweet redheaded girl hug Ichigo with different reactions. Riruka rolled her eyes in annoyance, Yukio once again remained stoic, and Kisuke and Yoruichi just smiled at each other. Rukia, Renji, Chad and Ganju also grinned. Uryu however tilted his head down, looking downtrodden.

Orihime finally pulled away with a glowing red face and looking embarrassed. _"Gaah! I can't believe I just did that!"_ she shrieked mentally before snapping out of it and addressing Ichigo aloud. "Oh, you and Renji are hurt! Here, let me heel you!"

Ichigo waved her offer off coolly. "Nah, I'm fine, really." Suddenly though, he felt the wind get knocked out of him as someone heavy crashed into him. Everyone stood flabberghasted as Ganju grinned manically and put Ichigo into a headlock.

"Ichigo, you bastard!" cried Ganju, ignoring the struggling Ichigo in his grip. "You beautiful bastard! You actually did it! Look around you! Killing that guy is making this place go back to normal!" Ichigo finally found the strength to reverse Ganju into his own headlock.

"What the hell, Ganju! You almost suffocated me! Is that your idea of a congratulations?"

Ganju grabbed Ichigo by his orange locks, making him growl in pain. "Aww, lighten up. You just saved the Soul Society, you deserve a pat on the back."

Ichigo retorted by kicking Ganju away. "Then just pat me on the back!" The Substitute Soul Reaper grinned wickedly before cracking his knuckles. "Allow me to return your congratulations in my own way."

Chad walked over and put his large hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Ichigo, go easy on him will you?" muttered the giant calmly.

Ichigo grinned evilly. "Hah, not a chance, he brought this on himself." He dashed over as Ganju smirked, then the two began their bout of celebratory roughhousing.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Riruka exclaimed nervously. She was worried about that muscle-bound thug damaging Ichigo's beautiful face.

"Nah, this is actually kinda fun." Yoruichi answered, watching the fight in amusement.

"Renji, are you alright?" Rukia asked her childhood friend in concern. "You should ask Orihime to heal you."

"Later, I wanna watch this." was Renji's reply as he too watched Ichigo and Ganju's dustcloud fight with a grin.

The only person who didn't appear amused by the scrap was Uryu. Now that Yhwach was dead everything was over and done with, guilt was starting to fill the Quincy's mind. While he may of had the best intentions for joining the Vandenreich, he still hadn't told his friends about it. What if he died in the process? It's possible that he could've died with his friends thinking he had betrayed them. That thought made his guilt increase.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sounds of sniffling. Curious, he looked next to him, and what he saw frightened him. Orihime was standing there gazing at him, with tears pouring down her face.

"O-Orihime?" stuttered a baffled Uryu. "Why're you-?" He didn't get to finish because the redhead had thrown her arms around his neck. The Quincy's eyes widened, his face blushed crimson, and his heart started beating fast.

"T-Thank goodness you're safe!" choked Orihime as she pulled him closer to her. "I'm sorry, b-but after we left you I didn't k-know if I'd ever see you again. I... I'm so glad you came back, Uryu. I knew you hadn't betrayed us."

Uryu just stood there in shock, letting Orihime's words wash over him. She had been worried about him? She had known the whole time? Relief washed over the Quincy as he slowly wrapped his arms around Orihime's back. Ichigo and Ganju had finally stopped their roughhousing and happily watched the reunion of their friends with everyone else.

It was as they separated that Uryu and Orihime noticed Rukia approaching them with a frown. She stepped up to Uryu, and to the shock of everybody present, smacked him upside the head. "What the hell, Rukia?" snapped Uryu, holding the side of his head. "What was that for?"

"For you not telling us about what you were planning." Rukia replied harshly, stunning Uryu. "Chad brought us up to speed about why you joined the Vandenreich. But that was still irresponsible on your part not telling your friends sooner!"

"Rukia..." muttered Uryu as the tiny Soul Reaper continued.

"Orihime may have known that you were still on our side, but Renji and I sure didn't! We're your friends, Uryu. Don't go scaring us like that again!"

"Rukia..." Orihime whispered in surprise.

"Yeah, that's a good point..." Ichigo suddenly proclaimed. Before rushing over to bash the Quincy on the head himself. "You do kinda deserve that, don't ya? For also not telling us!"

Orihime just stood there in disbelief. "I-Ichigo!" she whined.

But it wasn't over for Uryu yet. "Tag me in?" Renji spoke with his hand out. Ichigo tagged the Squad Six lieutenant so he could deliver a third blow to the skull. Uryu could see stars in his eyes by this point.

"Poor Uryu." Chad said quietly to himself, feeling sorry for his friend.

"Okay, alright, I'm sorry for not telling you all what I was doing." grunted Uryu, holding his throbbing head.

"It's fine now." Renji proclaimed. "Just don't go doing anything stupid like that again, alright?"

Kisuke and Yoruichi just looked at each other in amusement as they watched their young friends give the Quincy a hard time. Chad placed his large hand on Uryu's shoulder. "It's good to have you back, man." said the giant.

Orihime giggled as she hugged Uryu again, making him blush shyly but also grin. Ichigo and Rukia looked at each other and smiled. With Yhwach, the Vandenreich, and Aizen now gone, it looked like things would finally be going back to normal.

* * *

 **So? What did you all think for my first time writing a brand new genre? Let me know by leaving a review. And yes, this will be a Ichiruki and Ishihime story, because I still think they're the best Bleach pairings. And like I said earlier, I was extremely put off about not knowing what happened to other characters I love from Bleach, so I actually showed them here, and had Tier Harribel show up because... well, did she ever get rescued? Like I said, ending was plotholes galore. Sorry if that part seemed a tad rushed though.**

 **Next chapter will be focusing more on the Soul Reapers, and the reconstruction of the Seireitei. Hope ya'll are ready for it. Until then, see ya next time :)**


	2. Bleach 686 The End 4

**A/N: I'm back! TDDolphin is back for the next chapter of my ending for Bleach. I can't believe the last chapter got such positive reception, especially since I'm a novice at writing anime fanfics. Thank you to everyone who read, faved, followed and reviewed the first chapter! You all rock! I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter just as much as the last one.**

 **Before we start though, I need to apologize for something. In the last chapter's author note, I sounded way too bitter about the couples that ended up becoming canon, and I gave the impression that I dislike Ichihime and RenRuki. Honestly, I don't, I just prefer IchiRuki and especially Ishihime much more than them, but I didn't sound like I did initially. I'm sorry, I can admit now that I was still a little emotional about how the ending went down when I first started writing this story, but I'm over that part of the ending now. Congrats to Orihime for marrying the man of her dreams. That being said though, I'm still writing this alternate ending as a IchiRuki/Ishihime story, but I'm sorry I didn't elaborate more on my views in the last chapter and I hope you understand.**

 **Don't really have anything else to add to this. Hope you guys enjoy Chapter 686 :)**

* * *

 **Bleach 686. The End 4**

* * *

The sun was now high in the sky in the Seireitei. Now that the Vandenreich had fallen, the Thrteen Court Guard Squads would now start the arduious task of rebuilding the Seireitei. The destroyed buildings would be relatively easy enough to repair, though it would probably take years to fix them all, but the blow in numbers to the officers in the Court. Well, that was a whole other story. Many Soul Reapers had been killed during the two invasions committed by the Quincies. Not a single member of the Sternritter survived the second invasion, due to either being killed by the Soul Reapers, or killed by Yhwach when he used his Auswhalen to revive his four Schutzstaffel members.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon by now, and the survivng Soul Reaper officers and soldiers had been split into teams by Squads to begin repairs in different areas of the Seireitei. Interestingly, the Department of Research was still functional despite taking some damage, and Sogyoku Hill was still mostly standing despite the battle between Ichigo, Yhwach and Aizen. Many of the dead had been moved to the courtyard outside Squad Four's barracks. Blankets were drapped over the bodies, and there were about six rows of at least thirty to forty each, and that was just the ones that had been found.

As repairs continued, a certain mad scientist had returned to his Department in order to get things back on track. Mayuri Kurotsuchi was never concerned about officers who died, and besides, he had more important things to do. His healing pod had made him as good as new, and he now stood in front of a computer in his private laboratory. On the image was what appeared to be blueprints of a human figure in the shape of a young woman. The same figure also rested on his operating table, though it's face was covered in shadow, and a human brain layed within a container of liquid next to it.

Suddenly there was a knock on his door. "What is it?!" snapped Mayuri, not turning his face from his computer screen.

"Captains Otoribashi and Muguruma have been fully dezombified, sir." came the voice of Akon. "They just left with their lieutenants to help with repairing the Seireitei."

Mayuri sneered. "Fool, you interrupted me to tell me that? I told you that unless the Seireitei falls under attack, which is unlikely, do not bother me! I am busy!"

On the other side of the door, Akon sighed. "Yes sir, my apologies." The lead assistant of Squad Twelve left the entrance to return to his post by Hiyosu and Rin.

"What's he doing in there?" Rin asked Akon, who crossed his arms. But it was Hiyosu who answered.

"He's trying to rebuild Lieutenant Kurotsuchi, of course." replied the reptile-like creature. Rin was surprised by this answer.

"But... But I thought she was blown to pieces?" said the tiny researcher.

"She was." Akon informed, making Rin and Hiyosu turn to him. "However, he was able to retrieve her brain. And because she was such a success for the Nemuri project, he made a second body in her likeness just in case she was destroyed. I believe he plans to use Nemu's surviving brain so that Nemu will retain all of her past memories despite being put in a new body."

"I see..." said Rin. "Man, the captain sure does think of every possible scenario, doesn't he?"

"Of course he does, look who he was succeeded by." stated Hiyosu, whose extended his cybernetic eye outward to look at something closer on his moniter. "He needs to be good in every possible way if wants to surpass Urahara's mind."

"Don't let the captain hear you talking about him." Akon whispered hastily.

Suddenly Mayuri's private laboratory door swung open. Everyone spun around to see an enraged scowl on the captain's face, which sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Whose talking about Kisuke Urahara?" he sneered through gritted teeth. Akon, Hiyosu and Rin all cowered at Mayuri's cold glare. How did he know these things?

* * *

In another part of the Seireitei, another captain supervised the members of his squad as they moved all around the place, picking up debris from the ground, hammering spare pieces of wood into the buildings with holes in them, and laying down extra tiles on the rooves. There were even brick layers about to start repairing the buildings that had been outright destroyed.

"Man... Those Quincies really messed my area up." complained Shinji Hirako. "You're doing great guys, keep it up!" he then exclaimed to his Squad Five soldiers.

"Sir, yes sir!" they all replied.

It was then that Shinji had heard footsteps coming behind him. He turned around and grinned to see two familiar faces. "Well well, long time no see. Love. Lisa" he greeted his fellow Vizards: Hiyori Sarugaki, Love Aikawa and Lisa Yadomaru.

"Did you forget that we travelled to the Royal Palace together?" Lisa snapped calmly.

"Of course not, but we didn't exactly have to time for a proper talk then, now did we?"

"Good to see you too, man." Love returned the greeting calmly. "We're here to help you clean up this place."

"Huh?" Shinji looked confused. "Why? My Squad doesn't need-." he started to say until someone short kicked him hard in the gut, sending him rolling down the street and crashing right into the next building.

"What the hell, Shinji?! Where was MY greeting?!" yelled Hiyori furiously.

Shinji got off the ground and glared at the tiny Vizard. "I usually make a habit not to talk to brats who will kick me in the stomach!"

"You jerk! And after I was nice enough to help you fix those tears in the Dangai or whatever!"

"Shut up! What do you want, Hiyori?"

"We've been asked to join the Thirteen Courts again." Love answered before Hiyori could throw another tantrum. Making Shinji and Hiyori stare blankly at him.

"Wait, really?" Shinji asked like he couldn't believe his ears. "What positions?"

It was Love who answered. "Captain. Of my old Squad. Squad Seven."

Shinji was confused for a moment before he remembered. "Oh yeah. Sajin's a full-blown wolf now isn't he? So he can't be a Soul Reaper anymore, let alone a captain."

"Yeah. Captain Kyoraku asked to see the three of us and wanted to know if we wanted to rejoin the Squads. And since the human world has gotten a little boring, I said yes."

"And Lisa? What did Shunsui ask you to do?"

Lisa frowned as she turned away from the Squad Five Captain. "To rejoin Squad Eight." she said shortly.

"Oh, I see. His and your old squad." stated Shinji. "And whose your captain going to be?"

Lisa glared at Shinji. "I am." said Lisa coldly.

Shinji balked for a moment before offering his congratulations, even though Lisa still had reservations about rejoining the Soul Reapers who had originally turned their backs on them, However, since her former captain was now in charge, she felt more confident about a fresh new start in the Soul Society. Despite her former captain be somewhat annoying.

"And that's not all." piped up Love. "Hachi was invited to rejoin the Kido Corps."

"So we're all back together again, huh?" came a new voice. The four Vizards looked over to see Rose, Kensei and their three lieutenants: Izuru, Shuhei and Mashiro, approaching them. "Feels like a hundred years ago that we were all a part of the Soul Society together doesn't it?" stated Rose.

"That's because it was over a hundred years ago." Kensei added gruffly.

"So you two are all healed up." said Shinji. "I was afraid you two would be left as Zombies forever." He looked over Rose's shoulder to look at Izuru. "And I see you got your arm back, Izuru. Orihime's work I'm guessing?"

"Yes sir." said Izuru, lifting up his freshly attached right arm. "She and her friends are currently helping Squad Eleven with their repairs."

"Izuru!" came an exstatic voice. Everyone turned to see Momo Hinamori running over and stop right in front of her close friend. "You're alright! I was so worried about you!" she said frantically.

"Sure I am, Momo." Izuru replied while rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry if I worried you. Me, Shuhei and Mashiro were just retrieving our captains from Squad Twelve."

"Can't believe ya'll actually came back from the dead." Shuhei suddenly said quietly. "I sometimes wonder if Captain Kurotsuchi can work miracles."

"No, if anything he's just extra cautious." said Rose.

Shinji suddenly turned back to Hiyori. "So Hiyori, whose the poor sad sack squad that got stuck with you?"

Love suddenly started snickering, much to the Squad Five captain's confusion. And Hiyori had the most sinister grin on her face. "I've been asked to be a co-lieutenant..." began Hiyori before putting her face right in Shinji's. "A co-lieutenant of Squad Five."

Shinji practically shrieked, and Momo just looked blankly between her captain and her new co-lieutenant. "You've gotta be kidding me!" Shinji yelled furiously.

"You poor sad sack." Hiyori joked with an evil grin, patting her new captain on his creepy little face as he glared daggers at the infuriating Vizard. She then got right up in Momo's face. "As for you, don't expect me to be nice to you, just cause we're co-lieutenants now. I'm gonna be the best Squad Five lieutenant, do you hear me?!"

Momo just blinked, unsure of what to say to her ranting partner. Shinji's scowl suddenly turned into a wicked grin of his own as he just thought of something. "So you're my lieutenant now, huh?" everybody present noticed how evil Shinji looked at present.

"Uh, sir!" Izuru said to Rose. "Do you mind if I go help our Squad clean up now?" he said rather panickally. Rose said yes, and he and Shuhei both fled the scene as quick as they could.

"Very well then." Shinji continued darkly. "Momo, I believe we have enough help over here. Why don't you go assist Squad Ten in their clean up duty." This request made Momo's face turn red. Squad Ten? Shiro's Squad?

"Uhhh, are you sure captain?"

"Yes." Shinji said happily. "After all, I have Hiyori hear to help repair our area."

"WHAAAAAAT!" screamed the new lieutenant angrily. "When did I say I'd do that, Shinji?"

Shinji ignored her question as Momo left to go find Captain Hitsugaya. "You know, I think this is gonna work out perfectly." said the Squad Five captain humorously as Hiyori gave him the deathglare.

 _"Ugh! Me and my big mouth!"_ Hiyori groaned mentally.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Squad Four medical center, Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu had just left one of the E.R. wings and passed the numerous other nurses who ran around treating the wounded officers until she reached a rather large lieutenant who was sitting in a chair in the lobby close by. Marechiyo Omaeda looked up the instant Isane stopped in front of him.

"Lieutenant Kotetsu!" said Omaeda rather loudly. "How are they? Are they gonna be-!"

"Your family will be fine." Isane cut him off with a smile. "Your mother and father, Mareyo, your brother and sister, they're all going to be fine. They're just resting now."

Happy tears fell down the Squad Two lieutenant's face as he bowed several times in front of Isane. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, Lieutenant! I'm in your debt for saving them!"

Isane chuckled nervously. "T-That's not necessary Lieutenant Omaeda. Really, I'm just doing what Squad Four is expected to do. You can go visit them now, as long as your quiet." Marechiyo immediately got up and dashed to his family's hospital room as Isane sighed sadly.

"You're asking for the impossible, lieutenant." came a cold voice. Isane looked up to see the captain of Squad Two, Soi Fon.

"Captain Soi Fon."

"I came to see if Omeada's family is doing alright. He may be annoying and useless, but he's still my lieutenant. And I was worried about his little sister." Soi Fon explained. "But if he's bawling his fat little eyes out with that stupid grin, then I'm guessing their alright."

Caught off guard by the captain's blunt explanation, Isane just stared blankly. "Um... right..." was all she could say.

Soi Fon's expression suddenly became softer. "I also came to see how you're doing." When Isane looked confused, the Stealth Force leader eloborated. "I heard about Captain Unohana... I just wanted offer my condolences."

Isane felt her heart sink, and she felt tears coming to her eyes as she thought of her deceased captain. "Oh... thank you, c-captain..."

Soi Fon merely placed her hand on Isane's shoulder, looking sad herself as she passed her to wait outside the room her lieutenant was in.

"L-Lieutenant Kotetsu." came a rather nervous voice from behind that startled her. Isane turned around to see Hanataro looking at her with a sad face.

"Oh, Hanataro!" Isane exclaimed as she hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. "What is it? Did you need something?"

"Y-Yeah, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about Captain Unohana too." said the nervous boy. Isane didn't break down this time, even though it took most of her emotional strength not to. Isane knew how much Hanataro had admired Captain Unohana, and it broke her heart to see how pained he looked, but she couldn't help but admire him for not breaking down like she had just done. "S-So, what happens now?" Hanataro continued. "Are you Captain of Squad Four now?"

Isane looked away sadly. "Yes." she whispered. Unohana had left that in the letter she had left behind. If she didn't return, then she had already gotten the Head Captain's and Central 46's approval to name Isane as her successor upon her death.

"I... I see..." Hanataro whispered sadly before he decided to change the subject. "Oh, right... I meant to tell you that your sister and Sentaro of Squad Thirteen are here to see Captain Ukitake. He came here in critical... condition... remember?" the skiddish boy trailed off as he saw Isane's face fall again.

The new captain of Squad Four spoke in barely a whisper. "I'm sorry Hanataro..." she dreaded what she was abut to say, and she was scared of what her sister's reaction would be. "But... Captain Ukitake didn't make it..."

* * *

Rukia had found herself in her Captain's room. The windows had been covered by their curtains, and the room was dark with only the rays of the sun coming through the curtains offering any kind of a light source. She had found a letter addressed to her on Captain Ukitake's desk and had just unfolded it. She stepped in front of the sunlight and began to read.

Sadness filled her heart as Rukia continued to read Ukitake's letter. It explained to her that if she was reading this letter, than he would most likely already be dead. Ukitake went into detail about the Kamikake that he needed to perform to save the Soul King, and how he came to possess the Mimihagi. Finally, Rukia read the part about herself. Ukitake wrote about Kaien, and that he never blamed her for what had happened to him. Tears came to her eyes when she read about her being an excellent lieutenant, a hard worker, and an overall kind-hearted soul. And last but not least...

Jushiro Ukitake named her, Rukia Kuchiki, to be his successor as Captain of Squad Thirteen.

Rukia fell to her knees as tears poured down her face. She knew that she shouldn't act this way, because her captain had known the stakes of what he needed to do, and of being a Soul Reaper captain, and that he likely never cried upon Kaien's death, but Ukitake had been so kind to her, and like Kaien, had treated her like an equal as opposed to someone special because of her adopted surname, which was something she had wanted desperately for people to do. Rukia had respected her captain so much, which is why she couldn't help but break down and let her tears fall onto Ukitake's last will and testament.

* * *

A lone Soul Reaper lieutenant traversed through the woods nearby Sogyoku hill, looking to see if there was anything that could've been damaged during the second invasion by the Vandenreich. Tetsuzaemon Iba had wandered away from his men, who were repairing the damage to the town closest to the woods. They worried that the lieutenant had been overdoing it in order to take his mind off what had happened to Captain Komamura. Tetsuzaemon had cleaned up an entire block by himself, so his men asked for him to take a break.

The Squad Seven lieutenant agreed, but stated he was going to go into the woods to see if any debris from the ruined streets might've flown into the forest. So far though, he had found nothing. It seemed that the forest was one of the few places in the Seireitei that avoided any kind of damage. But secretly, Tetsuzaemon was here for another reason. After Yhwach's defeat, the former captain had disappeared. Tetsuzaemon was hoping that Sajin may of fled into these woods. He knew that Komamura could no longer be a Soul Reaper, but he at least wanted to see him one last time.

Tetsuzaemon came into a clearing surrounding a small cliff and looked around. "Damn, not here either." he said tiredly. He was thinking about turning around and heading back to help his men. The lieutenant had heard that Kyoraku had already assigned a replacement captain for Squad Seven and was wondering if he had maybe joined the squad in clean up duty. Apparently, the new captain was actually the former captain of his squad, and one of those Vizards that helped them against Aizen. A part of him was angry that the head captain had replaced Komamura so quickly, but he also understood why it had to be done.

In the end, Tetsuzaemon turned around to head back. He had just made it to the trees when he heard what sounded like rocks sliding down the cliff. Grasping the handle of his Zanpakuto, Tetsuzaemon spun around quickly and looked up to the top of the cliff.

When he did though, his eyes went wide behind his sunglasses and he let go of his Zanpakuto.

Sitting on top of the miniature mountain was a wolf. A wolf with brown fur, white underbelly, and yellow eyes. The wolf just stared down at the Soul Reaper. Tetsuzaemon smiled sadly. He recognized this wolf instantly.

"It's good to see you again." muttered Tetsuzaemon. "Captain..."

Sajin looked down sadly at his former lieutenant. He was unable to talk in his new form, and it made Sajin sad to know that he could not say anything to Tetsuzaemon. He couldn't ask how he was. If he would be alright without him. Or even say goodbye. All Sajin could do was tilt his head down and bow to his lieutenant.

Tetsuzaemon grinned. "I'll miss you too sir. I'm glad I got to see you one last time."

Sajin bowed goodbye before turning tail and heading deeper into the woods. Tetsuzaemon watched him go until the wolf vanished into the trees, before leaving the clearing himself.

* * *

In another part of the Seireitei, two Squad Six officers were having trouble lifting a heavy piece of roofing that had fallen onto the street. They continued struggling for another minute until they got help from their lieutenant. "Thank you, Lieutenant Abarai." said one of the men gratefully.

"No problem." replied Renji. "We'll take this and set it over in the pile over there."

The three men walked through all of the men doing their own clean up duties toward a rather high mountain of debris littered in the center of the large square they were in. With one huge heave, Renji and his helpers threw their piece of roofing onto the trash pile.

Renji slapped his hands together as one of the officers said. "Thanks again, sir."

"Don't worry about it." said Renji with a grin. "next time though, stick to pieces you're able to carry so you don't overdo it."

"Yes sir!" exclaimed the men as they watched Renji walk over toward a fallen pillar that looked to be at least ten feet long, and what had to weight about five hundred pounds. The men looked at each other as Renji cracked his knuckles.

"Alright! Everybody stand back!" Renji yelled to the officers around him, who immediately got out his way.

"Um sir, you're not planning on lifting that pillar all by yourself are you?" said one of the officers, rather fearfully.

"Yeah, I mean you'd need at least five men to lift something like-" began the second officer, until much to his disbelief he saw Renji lift the pillar all by himself. Every officer in the vicinity stared wide-eyed as Renji overhead carried the pillar and tossed it into the debris pile. The lieutenant wiped his brow before spinning around to face his dumbfounded men.

"Sorry, did you say something?" Renji asked curiously. When the men shook their heads, he exclaimed. "Alright, then get back to work!"

"Sir, yes sir!" shouted the officers as they went back to their clean up duty.

"Impressive display of strength, Lieutenant Abarai." came a voice from behind Renji. The redheaded Soul Reaper spun around to see Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya, who was short again, and his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto.

"Ah, Captain Hitsugaya, what brings you over here?" Renji asked.

"We've finished cleaning up the first area we were assigned to." replied Toshiro coldly. "We thought we'd lend some assistance to you now."

"We'll need it." stated Renji as he turned to face the giant pile of damaged buildings and debris. "Our Squad got stuck with one of the more damaged places in the Seireitei."

"Then allow my Squad to help." said Toshiro.

"We'll help out too." came another voice. Toshiro and Rangiku spun around to see Izuru, Shuhei and Momo right behind them.

"Izuru, Shuhei," Rangiku said. "Momo, what're you doing over here? Why aren't you with your own squads?"

Shuhei rubbed his head. "Well, Izuru kinda dragged me over here, and Captain Hirako asked Momo to help your squad out." he said to Hitsugaya.

"Oh is that right?" Rangiku suddenly looked mischievous. She looked down at her diminuative captain and grinned at how nervous he looked as he looked at Momo, who had chuckled awkwardly. "Isn't that great, Captain? Captain Hirako knew we would need more help. Wasn't that nice of him.

"Silence Rangiku!" Toshiro glared coldly at his lieutenant, not in the mood for her teasing.

"Hehehe, sorry Shiro." Momo apologized. "I don't know why Captain Hirako sent me here. But I hope you don't mind me helping."

"It's Captain Hitsugaya." snapped Toshiro, trying not to sound so nervous. "But no, I don't mind your help, Momo. We're actually here to assist Renji's squad now."

Momo looked behind and saw her friend. "Hey Renji." she greeted kindly making Renji smile.

"Hey there. Long time no talk Momo." he said as he saw Izuru approach him. "You too, Izuru." The two shook hands.

"Likewise. So where would you like us to start?" Izura asked.

"Wherever you want." was Renji's response as he, Shuhei and Izuru left the others to get back to work

"By the way, where's your captain, Renji." Shuhei asked before the three split off.

"He went to see Rukia." replied Renji. "That was a couple hours ago, so I'm sure he'll be back soon." He left Izuru and Shuhei to go help some more fellow officers.

"Alrighty then, I think I'll go help Renji." Rangiku suddenly piped up cheerfully, her captain glaring at her suspiciously. "Captain, you work with Momo."

"W-W-What!" stuttered Toshiro as he turned to a confused Momo. "I'm the captain Rangiku, why're you telling me what to do!" Literally right after he said do, his buxom lieutenant had brought him in for a hug, with his face smooshed right in her large bosom.

"Captain, just do as I say this one time." Rangiku growled impatiently as Toshiro struggled to breathe. Momo blushed and was even more confused as to why her close friend was doing something so lewd to another one of her close friends.

"Rangiku! Y-You're gonna suffocate Shiro!" cried Momo.

About fifteen minutes past and Renji, Rangiku, Toshiro, Momo, Izuru and Shuhei continued to help their officers clean up the square they were in. Most of the debris had been picked up by this time, however the mountain pile was so big that Renji was pretty sure that it would collapse if anything else large landed on it.

"Well, looks like all the damage in this area has been picked up." said Momo, wiping the sweat off her face.

"Yeah, but what're we going to do about this mountain of trash?" wondered Shuhei.

Renji was about to reply until he felt a familiar spirit energy close by. He turned swiftly around to see someone approching them, and they had their Zanpakuto drawn. Renji suddenly looked frightened. What was he doing?

"Bankai." said Byakuya softly, dropping his sword which melted into the ground like water. "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Then to everyone's shock, the hundreds of thousands of small blades began circling the depris pile like a tornado. The trash inside was being shred to pieces, and after a minute the hundred thousand flying blades instantly vanished, leaving nothing from the mountain of debris but a large pile of dust, which had already started to blow into the wind and out of the square.

"That was amazing." Rangiku whispered in awe.

"Guess that's one way to do it." muttered Shuhei.

Renji watched as his captain finally drew close to him. "Uhhhh, thank you Captain." he thanked nervously.

"There's no need for thanks, Renji." Byakuya replied curtly. "It was the fastest way to clear away the mess in this area."

"And... how's Rukia doing?"

Byakuya closed his eyes and looked forlorn. "She will be fine, Renji. I have talked with her about her situation, and she assures me that she will fulfill her new duties with her head up." Byakuya walked past his lieutenant. "Rukia is on her way to the Head Captain's office to discuss the matter with Captain Kyoraku, if you wish to go see her. The rest of us will move on to the next area that requires repairs."

Renji stayed put, and frowned sadly as he thought of Rukia. _"Man, what a way to become captain of your squad."_ Maybe he should go see her.

* * *

The sun was starting to go down by the time Squad Eleven's clean-up crew had started on their next street. Kenpachi was single-handedly moving heavy piece after heavy piece and dropping them unceremoniously into their pile of junk. Because most of their officers had been killed during the second Vandenreich invasion, it was only Kenpachi, Ikkaku and Yumichika doing any work from their squad currently. Luckily for them, Ichigo, Orihime, Uryu and Chad had offered to stay and help them so they didn't have to do everything themselves.

Kenpachi had just dropped another five hundred pound piece of a broken building into their pile. Orihime had restored his severed arm shortly before they started working in the morning. His team had cleaned up about five city blocks since then, due to having a refreshened Kenpachi, and equally as strong Chad, and a determined Ikkaku.

Too bad some of them were rather useless.

"Hey Yumichika, don't work so hard over there buddy. You'll pull a muscle." growled Ikkaku irritably as his best friend sat around inspecting himself in a mirror and didn't even bother helping.

"I will remember that Ikkaku, thank you." replied Yumichika smartly.

"GET OVER HERE AND HELP, YOU LAZY BUM!"

Yumichika put his mirror away and glared at Ikkaku. "Lazy? I've been helping for most of the day. Do you see how much dust I've accumulated on my uniform? I don't wish to sully it anymore is all."

Ikkaku's eye began twitching. "You only helped on two of those last five streets, ya vanity-obsessed prissy."

"You two knock it off and get back to work." Kenpachi rudely interrupted. "Jeez, the ryoka are more useful at this than you two." This made Ikkaku growl again as he left to prove his captain wrong. Kenpachi merely smirked at how serious his third seat took his remark.

Ichigo and Uryu worked together to carry a heavy piece of debris over to their pile and threw it on top. Chad was right behind them with his own heavy piece. The giant man threw his load onto the trash pile and went over to clean up another destroyed area, but Ichigo and Uryu took a moment to sit down and take a break.

"Man, I'm wiped." Ichigo moaned. "How long have we been at this now, anyway?"

"Since we left the Royal Palace around this morning." replied Uryu, removing his glasses to wipe the sweat of his forehead. "We did say that we would help Kenpachi clean up today."

"Yeah, I know. I think I'm just anxious to go home and sleep for the next two days."

"I think we all are."

"Hello, everyone!" came a cheeful voice. Ichigo looked up to see Orihime and Yachiru returning with several bottles of water. "We have water for everyone!"

"At last." said Yumichika excitedly. "I was working up a sweat out here."

"Doing what, nothing?" asked Kenpachi, making his fifth seat look nervous. "I didn't realize that could be so exhausting."

"No water for Yumi!" Yachiru yelled happily right in Yumichika's face. "If Yumi's not gonna help, than Yumi's not getting any refreshing, delicious water!" she drank her own bottle right in Yumichika's face to taunt him.

"And you do?" Yumichika snapped. "I haven't seen you lift so much as a pebble off the ground today!"

Orihime sped over to happily hand Ichigo and Uryu their waters. "You've been working so hard today. I got these from a nearby squad who had some spares so me and Yachiru brought them over."

Ichigo just grinned. "Thanks Orihime."

Orihime blushed at Ichigo's words and began to stutter. "O-Oh, no no. It's fine, I was just trying to help out in my own way."

"No, Ichigo's right. That was very kind of you to think about us like that." said Uryu after taking a drink of water.

Orihime's face turned even redder at Uryu's words. "T-Thank you, Uryu." she said bashfully. All three of them and Chad were covered in dirt from picking up debris all day. Chad came over to join them and all four Karakura Town defenders sat down to drink their waters.

"This tastes good." muttered Chad.

Then came a rather high-pitched voice. "Hey! What about me?!"

Ichigo, Orihime, Uryu and Chad all looked to where the source of the voice came from: Ichigo's shuhakusho robes. Something moved inside of them before a stuffed lion's head popped out.

"I'm sweating bullets being stuck in these robes all day!" complained Kon angrily. "Come on, don't you have some water for me too?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were in there." Ichigo muttered without caring much.

"Oh sorry, Kon." Orihime apologized before handing the mod soul his own bottle. "Here you go."

"Don't go wasting water on someone whose not even helping us." said Ichigo harshly.

"Whaddya mean by that?" Kon snapped and started hitting his cruel owner's face. "You don't want your good buddy Kon to die of thirst do you?"

Ichigo grabbed Kon and yelled right in his face. "You could've left my robes and changed into that muscle form of yours to help us out! I bet you just didn't wanna do any work, didn't you?"

Kon looked away shiftily. He didn't want to admit that Ichigo was right. It was then that he noticed Orihime staring blankly at the two of them, and his face became hot. Orihime was still wearing the outfit that Kisuke forced her to wear, and her massive breasts were covered in dust from all the work she had been doing. Kon blushed furiuosly as he continued to stare.

Uryu had noticed this, and he was not amused by Kon's behavior at all.

Kon lept away from Ichigo and addressed Orihime. "I-I just thought about something, Orihime. I don't need any water after all. So you can just use it for something else."

Ichigo and Uryu became suspicious immediately. "Oh, like what?" replied a confused Orihime.

Kon snorted lustfully. "Well, I noticed that your looking dirty. So you could just... pour that water down your body to clean yourself off." he said happily. His face immediately hit the dirt from Uryu's foot.

"You totally deserved that." Ichigo told Kon with a grin.

Uryu leaned down and glared at the perverted plush. "Don't ever say anything like that to her again!" he growled softly. "Or I'll stitch your mouth shut!"

"Yes sir." moaned Kon painfully from below Uryu's boot.

"U-Uryu." gasped Orihime, feeling red in the face from Kon's suggestion.

"Excuse me." came a new voice. Ichigo, Uryu, Orihime, Chad and Kon looked up to see an old man in front of them. They had never met him before, but he was wearing a lieutenant's badge on his left arm. "I am Co-Lieutenant Genshiro Okikiba of Squad One. I am looking for Ichigo Kurosaki."

Everyone turned to look at Ichigo as he stood up. "That's me sir. What can I do for you?"

"Head Captain Shunsui Kyoraku would like to see you, Mr. Kurosaki." said Okikiba.

"Captain Kyoraku wants to see me?" Ichigo repeated.

"Yes. If you would please follow me." Lieutenant Okikiba turned and walked away.

Ichigo just stared at the lieutenant in confusion. What was going on? Had he done something wrong? Why did Kyoraku want to see him?

* * *

It took about twenty minutes for Ichigo and Kon, who had decided to go with him, to reach the doors to Squad One's office with Okikiba. The old man knocked on the door, and Ichigo heard Shunsui's voice from the other side tell them to enter. The doors opened and Okikiba entered the chamber, with Ichigo right behind him.

"Sir, I've brought Ichigo Kurosaki." Okikiba informed his captain sitting behind his desk. It was then that Ichigo and Kon had noticed who else was in the room.

"Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed. Renji!"

"Ichigo." Rukia greeted with a sad smile. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Hey." Renji greeted curtly.

"Thank you Lieutenant Okikiba." said Shunsui. Okikiba bowed before walking over to stand behind the captain's desk. Nanao Ise stood behind Shunsui on the opposite side.

Kon felt tears come to his eyes as he jumped off Ichigo's shoulder and flew toward one of the love's of his life. "Ruuukiiaaaaaaa!" he cried happily. "It's been so long! I missed you so-"

Rukia stomped Kon on his head as she glared down at the perverted plush. "It's been a long time Kon." she said coldly. "You haven't changed a bit. What're you doing here?"

"He's been hitching a ride with me for the last few days." Ichigo responded.

"I missed you so much Rukia." Kon cried underneath Rukia's foot. The tiny Soul Reaper just rolled her eyes.

"Ehem." coughed Shunsui, making everyone turn to look at him. "I'm sorry to interrupt this reunion." he began. "But there's something I would like to talk to you about, Mr. Kurosaki."

Ichigo stood in front of the desk with Rukia standing next to him, and Renji standing by the door. Kon still layed painfully on the ground. Ichigo couldn't help but feel trepidacious about why he had been summoned here. And why were Rukia and Renji here?

"First of all, I'd like to thank you Ichigo." began Shunsui. "Once again, you saved the Soul Society and the World of the Living from being destroyed. I was told by Renji that you were the one who dealt the final blow to Yhwach after your friend Uryu had weakened him. Is that correct?"

"Yes sir." Ichigo replied.

Shunsui smiled. "I was also told by him that Sosuke Aizen was one of the casualties of Yhwach during this battle." This bit of information shocked Rukia, who turned to look up at Ichigo.

"Yeah, Yhwach absorbed Aizen right before Uryu fired the arrow that weakened him." Ichigo explained. "Renji and I both felt Aizen's spirit energy disappear after that."

"I see." replied Shunsui with another smile. "The Soul Society owes you a great debt. And Renji of course." he added as he gazed at the Squad Six lieutenant, who balked before approaching Shunsui's desk himself.

"Oh, thank you Head Captain." stuttered Renji with a bow.

Shunsui nodded before focusing again on Ichigo. "I'll see to it that you two and your friend Uryu receive special awards for services to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

Ichigo balked. "Oh, you don't have to do that!" he said aloud before thinking _"Plus, I'm pretty sure Uryu would flip if he was awarded anything by Soul Reapers."_

"Oh, but I insist." Shunsui continued. "You three did a tremendous service to the Soul Society, as well as the World of the Living, Reiokyu, and even Hueco Mundo. You did defeat both Aizen and Yhwach after all. I'll make sure that you're properly rewarded as such."

Ichigo thought it best not to argue, as did Renji, so they and Rukia just stood together and awaited what Shunsui had to say next. Ichigo was pretty sure that thanks were the only thing that needed to be said here. However, Shunsui was quiet for another moment, and Ichigo couldn't take the suspense anymore.

"Is that all sir? Did you just wanna thank me for beating Yhwach and Aizen?"

Ichigo had seen Shunsui's gaze turn to Rukia's for a split second before moving back to him. "No Ichigo. There is another reason why I brought you here."

He knew it. The Substitute Soul Reaper stood by as he nervously awaited what Shunsui had to say. Finally, the head captain of Squad One brought his fingers together as he looked right at Ichigo and said in the most business-like way he could.

"Ichigo Kurosaki. We'd like you to join the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

* * *

 **Oooooh, cliffhanger! Aren't I just the worst? Will Ichigo except? What will his friends reactions to this be? Find out next time!**

 **So did you like what I wrote? Did you outright hate it? I hope not the latter, but let me know by leaving a review. And I'll see you all next time for Chapter 687 :)**


	3. Bleach 687 Goodbye

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back a little later than I'd like with the newest chapter of Bleach Vol. 75. But hey, better late than never right? Yeah sorry about that, but work this week has been a little rough, and I was too tired to really work on Chapter 687 a lot. But also, I really needed to think about how best to write this chapter, because an important scene happens here that required some extra time in order to get it right. Also, I finally decided that this story will be 6 chapters long as opposed to just 5 like I had originally planned, so you guys will be getting an extra chapter from me! Hope ya'll are cool with that.**

 **Anyway, that's all I have to mention for an opening. Here's Chapter 687 of Bleach. Goodbye. Hope ya'll enjoy it :)**

* * *

 **Bleach 687. Goodbye**

* * *

Ichigo stood rooted to the spot, and stared at Shunsui with wide eyes. "What?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. Renji looked between the head captain and his friend and rival in shock too.

"It's like I said. We'd like for you to join the Thirteen Court Guard Squads." Shunsui repeated.

"You've gotta be kidding." Renji exclaimed making everyone turn to him. "I mean, don't get me wrong sir. I have no problem with Ichigo joining us, but can you do that? He was born a human, after all."

"You're right, Renji." Shunsui addressed the lieutenant. "But he's a human who was born with Soul Reaper powers."

Ichigo had finally found his voice. "W-Wait a minute, what're you saying? Why're you asking me to join you?"

"It isn't obvious?" the head captain asked. "You'd be a great help among our ranks. It's because of you that we're all still here, and I would really like for you to join us." Shunsui turned to look at Rukia, who had remained silent at the head captain's proposal. "And it's not just me who would thinks that..."

Ichigo and Renji turned to Rukia at this, but she still wouldn't fully meet Ichigo's eye. "Rukia... you want me to join too...?" Ichigo's voice trembled. At that question, Rukia finally looked at her friend straight in the eye.

"Yes..." she admitted. Her face looked rather flushed as she said that, something that Ichigo had noticed.

Shunsui spoke up once again. "I don't know if you're aware or not, Ichigo..." Ichigo, Rukia and Renji turned to the head captain again. "But before we arrived to the Reiokyu, Captain Jushiro Ukitake had sacrificed his life in order to prevent the death of the Soul King from causing the worlds to collapse."

Ichigo had gone numb. "Ukitake is...?" his voice trembled, to which Shunsui merely nodded. It was then that he suddenly remembered something that he saw after the Soul King had been slain. "You mean that weird shadowy eyeball came from Captain Ukitake?"

"Yes. He had performed a ritual that would allow him to take over for the Soul King if he were to be killed." Shunsui explained. "But Mimihagi had still been absorbed by Yhwach, and Captain Ukitake died still." everyone could see the sadness on the head captain's face as he spoke the last sentence.

Ichigo couldn't help but feel sad himself. Ukitake had been good to him, and he had gotten his Substitute Soul Reaper badge from him, even if there had been some mistrust that came along with it. Ichigo had forgiven Ukitake for that though. He once again looked at Rukia, who had been lieutenant under Ukitake, and saw her look of pain as well. She didn't break down this time though, as Jushiro Ukitake would not have wanted her to grieve for him like that

"I'm sorry, Rukia." Ichigo found himself saying sadly. Rukia looked up at him saw his pained expression, and she almost lost control of her tears again. But she nodded in understanding.

"Ukitake left a letter behind." Shunsui spoke again. "And in the letter he named Rukia as his successor." This news shocked Ichigo.

"You mean...?"

"That's right, Rukia is now the Captain of Squad Thirteen." After Ichigo looked at Rukia in disbelief, Shunsui continued. "Because of this promotion though, Squad Thirteen is left without a lieutenant... And that's where you come in, Ichigo."

Rukia turned to face Ichigo fully. Ichigo noticed that Rukia looked almost pleading when she asked. "Ichigo, I'd like you to be my lieutenant." she said seriously. Renji looked at his friend, stunned at what she had just asked. But his surprise was nothing compared to Ichigo's. Noticing this, Rukia continued. "As you know, captains have the power to appoint their lieutenants, no matter who they are. And... and I'd like you to be mine."

"But what about my family?" Ichigo spoke up. "If I become your lieutenant, I would have to leave everybody I care about behind! My dad, my sisters, Orihime, Chad, Uryu, my friends from school! You're pretty much asking me to leave all of them, and I can't do that!"

"You can still see them." Shunsui interrupted Ichigo's tirade. When Ichigo looked at him in confusion, the head captain elaborated. "While you, Rukia and Renji were training at Reiokyu, I paid a visit to your three friends from school."

"You mean Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizurio?"

"Yes. And I told them that we wouldn't know how powerful you would become when you returned from Reiokyu, and that it was a possibility that you'd be too powerful to even return to the World of the Living. The chances were very low obviously, but even a low chance is still a chance." Shunsui suddenly reached into his uniform pocket and pulled out what looked like three rectangular sheets of white paper with black stipes and the symbol of the Seireitei on them. "So just in case, I gave them these."

"What're those?" Renji asked curiously.

"They're called Soul Tickets." Shunsui answered. "They're special transit permits that humans from the World of the Living can use to freely enter the Soul Society. I gave one to each of your three friends, and I sent three to your father and two sisters. To put it simply, if you decide to join us Ichigo, your friends and family can use these to visit you here in the Soul Society whenever they wish."

"So I can still see them...?" muttered Ichigo.

Shunsui nodded. "Good news though, it seems like your power is pretty much the same as usual, so luckily for you, we aren't gonna have to force you to stay in Soul Society. However, I still think you'd be great for the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. So I'll leave the final decision up to you, Ichigo."

The decision was up to him? Ichigo was able to decide if he wanted to return home or if he wanted to become a full Soul Reaper lieutenant? Ichigo had to admit that he was relieved that Shunsui took his friends into account just in case he did decide to stay. And if he was being honest with himself, he was unsure about even returning to Karakura Town. Even with his two greatest foes dead, Ichigo was unsure if he was going to be able to return to his normal life. He had gotten his Soul Reaper powers back, and yes Ichigo could still protect his home from the Hollows that would likely still attack, but he wasn't sure if he could balance life as a Substitute Soul Reaper with whatever career he decided to pursue after graduation. He found the notion of that idea extremely tedious, and it was hard enough doing that during high school.

Not only that, but Ichigo still had no idea what he wanted to do after leaving school. Ms. Ikumi was good to him, but she was also stubborn, and he definately didn't want to work with her forever, and he couldn't imagine being a doctor like his dad, or working for the Kurosaki Clinic. The more he thought about it, Ichigo realized that there was only one occupation he excelled at: Being a Soul Reaper.

Ichigo finally addressed Shunsui again. "Those Soul Tickets, do Orihime, Chad and Uryu have them too?"

Rukia looked puzzled at the Strawberry Soul Reaper. Why would Ichigo ask that unless...?

"These tickets are for them actually." replied Shunsui waving around the Soul Tickets in his hand. "You didn't think I'd leave them out of this, did you?"

Ichigo began to ponder over his decision again. After about a minute, Rukia addressed him.

"Ichigo." she said quietly, as if afraid of what Ichigo may decide. "It's fine if you don't wanna decide right away. Captain Kyoraku says that my Inauguration ceremony won't be held for seven days, after the Seireitei's been repaired more. You can take your time, and talk about this with Orihime and the others. I'm sure they'll want to know about-"

"Alright, I'll do it!" exclaimed Ichigo curtly, interrupting Rukia.

Rukia, Renji, Kon, Shunsui, Nanao and Okikiba all stared dumbfounded at Ichigo's response. Had they heard him right?

"W-Wait? What?" Rukia stuttered with wide eyes.

"What, are your ears clogged?" replied a frowning Ichigo. "I said that I'll join the Soul Reapers and be your lieutenant."

"W-What?! Why you, of course I heard what you said!" Rukia snapped indignanty. "I just didn't think you'd answer so quickly, much less say yes so quickly!"

"Well, now that I know I can still see my friends and family if I stay here, I have no problem joining Soul Society." said Ichigo.

"Ichigo. Are you sure about this?" Renji asked. Ichigo turned to his friend and rival and grinned.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

Rukia stared at her now lieutenant as numerous emotions ran through her. First was shock, due to still being surprised at how quick Ichigo accepted her offer. Then Rukia felt confusion, as she wondered if there were other reasons besides the one he already gave that would've made him decide so quickly. And lastly, and the most powerful emotion she felt, was one that she was only just able to hide from everybody present.

Rukia felt happiness.

"Well, that was simple enough. Guess that concludes this meeting." said Shunsui with a smile, tipping his hat. He stood up and extended his hand out toward their newest member. "Ichigo Kurosaki, welcome to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads." Ichigo shook hands with the head captain before Shunsui spoke again. "Now, like Rukia just told you, the Inauguration ceremonies of the new captains will be held in seven days. You're free to return home and spend your last days there until then."

"Right. Guess I better go break the news to everybody then." Ichigo said. He was sure to get an earful from his father and Tatsuki about leaving them to live in the Seireitei, and it was likely that Yuzu and Orihime would cry, but his mind was made up. At least he would still be able to see his loved ones.

"I'll go with you." said Rukia suddenly. "I think it's only fair for them to meet the person whose technically taking you away from them." she added the last part jokingly.

"Don't be stupid. You already know my dad and sisters." Ichigo replied, but he honestly had no objections to his new captain's request. He turned back to the head captain. "Captain Kyoraku, can I give those Soul Tickets to my friends?"

"Of course." Shunsui answered, handing the three tickets to Ichigo.

"Renji, do you wanna come too?" Rukia offered her best friend, who shrugged.

"Meh, sure. I don't have anything else to do tonight."

"Hey hey, don't forget about me!" Kon exclaimed, jumping up and expecting Ichigo to carry him in his robes again, only to be caught by the head by Ichigo.

"Don't even think about it, Kon!" said Ichigo in annoyance, holding the mod soul in front of his face. "You're staying here!"

"What, but why?" Kon stared in surprise.

"Cause I know what you're after. You're thinking that because I'm staying here, then you'll get to inherit my body in the real world. Sorry, but I'll be having my family bury it so you won't be able to run amuck as me."

Kon was upset that his master had actually guessed his intentions right. "You can't do that! How're you gonna visit your old home without your body?"

"We have Gigais for a reason, Kon." Rukia reminded Kon with an eyeroll. "We'll give Ichigo a proper one now that he's a true Soul Reaper."

"Are we going now, or what?" came Renji's impatient voice from the doors.

"Keep your pants on Renji, we're coming." Ichigo snapped back as he and Rukia followed the Squad Six lieutenant out of Shunsui's office.

"Shut up! You're the one whose holding us up, arguing with that mod soul!"

Shunsui merely chuckled as the three left his office. He sat bak down and pulled out a bottle of saki as Nanao spoke up. "Captain, are you sure you should be taking a drink right now?" she said with disapproval. "You have a meeting with the ruler of Hueco Mundo tonight after all."

"I'll just have a small amount Nanao, I promise." Shunsui replied before pouring saki into a cup. "I'm smart enough not to go into a peace treaty discussion between the Soul Reapers and Arrancars drunk." he then turned to Nanao while waving his glass. "C'mon, lighten up and have one with me."

Nanao merely rolled her eyes at her captain's behavior.

* * *

Ichigo, Rukia and Renji stepped out of the Squad One barracks and entered the courtyard. It was still sunset outside. "So where is Orihime?" Rukia asked Ichigo as they walked.

"She and the others should be right outside here." answered Ichigo. "They came over here with me, but were told by that old guy to wait outside." Ichigo looked up to see three silhouettes at the courtyard's entrance. "That's probably them, right there."

"And you're sure your ready to tell them this?" Renji asked calmly.

"Yeah." sighed Ichigo, somewhat sadly. He made up his mind, but he was still nervous about how his friends would react to him leaving the World of the Living to join the Seireitei. Renji told them that he was going on ahead to get the Senkaimon gate set up for their departure and began running toward one of the side exits. Ichigo and Rukia walked toward the southern exit, and as they drew closer, Ichigo saw that the three silhouettes were indeed Orihime, Uryu and Chad.

Orihime looked up from her sitting position at the sound of footsteps, and she smiled brightly. "Ichigo!" she exclaimed as she stood up to run over to the approaching Soul Reapers. Chad and Uryu stopped leaning against the wall and joined their redheaded friend in greeting Ichigo. "Oh, and Rukia's here too!"

Ichigo grinned as best he could. "Hey Orihime. Hope you weren't waiting too long."

"You were only gone twenty minutes." Chad said quietly. "It wasn't too long."

"So..." Uryu began cautiously. "Is everything alright? Why did the head captain call for a meeting with you?"

Rukia answered first, with her head bowed slightly. "Well, I've been named the new Captain of Squad Thirteen due to my captain's death..."

Orihime, Chad and Uryu looked sad at the news. "Oh Rukia, I'm so sorry." Orihime's voice trembled. She had met Captain Ukitake when Rukia brought her to the Soul Society to train to fight the Arrancars, and he was so kind. It was sad to hear that he was gone.

Rukia smiled sadly. "Thank you, Orihime."

"If you don't mind me asking, whose your lieutenant gonna be?" Chad asked Rukia. "Have you chosen one yet?"

At that, Ichigo's smile faded, and Rukia looked at her now lieutenant with concern. "Ichigo, you look uneasy about something." Uryu pointed out. "What's troubling you?"

"Ichigo?" Orihime said quietly. Now that she noticed, Uryu was right. Ichigo did look troubled about something. He looked fine until chad had brought up Rukia's lieutenant. Why was that?

Ichigo looked away from his friends sadly before he responded. "Guys... I'm gonna be Rukia's lieutenant..."

Orihime, Uryu and Chad looked at each other in confusion. "What do you mean, Ichigo?" Uryu asked.

Ichigo was slowly regaining his confidence after having finally began, so before he lost his nerve he told his three friends from Karakura Town everything that went on during his meeting with Shunsui. By the end of his explanation, Uryu, Orihime and Chad were stunned into silence.

"They asked you to join them?" Chad finally spoke first after a moment of silence.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, I'll be joining the Thirteen Court Guard Squads as Rukia's lieutenant."

"You mean you're gonna stay here?" Uryu muttered in disbelief. Ichigo nodded again.

Orihime hadn't said anything. She was rendered speechless at what Ichigo declared. He was leaving? Ichigo was leaving? Orihime felt like her insides had disappeared.

"But... But what about your family, Ichigo?" Chad protested. "What about our friends from school? And school itself?"

"I'll still be able to visit. And you all can visit me." Ichigo explained as he reached into his robes and pulled out the three Soul Tickets. "Captain Kyoraku told me to give these to you."

"What are they?" Uryu asked as he, Orihime and Chad each grabbed a ticket.

"They'll let you come see me whenever you want." Ichigo explained. "Kyoraku went to see Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, my dad, Yuzu and Karin and gave them their own Soul Tickets too. And these ones are for you. So even though I'll be living in Soul Society now, all of you can still come see me."

Uryu inspected his Soul Ticket for a moment before grinning. "So, I guess this means you'll be dropping out of school now, huh?" To Uryu, this decision didn't come as too much of a shock. He had noticed that Ichigo seemed rather lost on what he wanted to do in life after losing his Soul Reaper powers. With this, maybe Ichigo could be happy now.

"Pretty much, but I'm allowed to return to Karakura Town for a week before I have to return here." Ichigo continued with a smirk. "I'll spend that time with all of you, and I'll let our teacher know that I have to drop out of school tomorrow when I go."

Uryu chuckled. "What're you gonna tell them? 'I'm leaving school to kill myself so I can join a military group in the after-life?'"

Ichigo crossed his arms and glared at the Quincy. "Very funny, ya smartass." he retorted before thinking about Uryu's question more seriously. "I don't know, I'll think of something."

"What're you gonna tell Keigo and Mizuiro?" Chad wondered. The big guy decided that he would support his best friend's decision to become a full Soul Reaper now that he knew that they could still see each other. At Chad's question, Ichigo frowned.

"The truth, I guess. Since they and Tatsuki know what I am." Ichigo's frown became a concerned smirk. "I'm pretty sure Tatsuki's gonna try and kick my ass for leaving." At that Ichigo, Rukia, Chad and Uryu started to laugh. Ichigo then found himself smiling. He was pleasently surprised at how well his friends were taking him leaving.

At least he was until he turned back to Orihime. The tender-hearted girl had been unusually quiet during the last few minutes, Ichigo noticed. He saw that her head was tilted down and she seemed to be avoiding everybody's gaze as she looked at her Soul Ticket in sadness.

"O-Orihime?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

Orihime put on the best face she could as her head shot up to look at her crush. "Y-Yeah?" she stuttered, making everyone look at her.

"You've been really quiet." the lieutenant pointed out. "You okay?"

Orihime feigned ignorance and merely laughed. "Y-Yeah, of course I am! I-I was just thinking about how Keigo's no longer gonna be greeted by yor clotheslines at school anymore! I alway thought those were funny!" she laughed, trying to lighten the mood. Ichigo raised an eyebrow before shrugging, thinking Orihime was just being her usual random self.

He was the only one who thought that though. Rukia, Uryu and Chad could tell right away that Orihime was faking her cheeriness, and was clearly upset. And they knew why. Orihime was in love with Ichigo after all, and it must've been emotional for her to learn that he was going to live in the Soul Society as a full-fledged Soul Reaper, and leave Karakura Town.

"Alright then..." Ichigo said calmly before telling the three. "Rukia, Renji and I are gonna head home to tell my dad and the others that I'll be leaving in a week."

"We'll go too." Chad said before Ichigo waved his hand.

"Nah, it's okay. I'm pretty sure Kenpachi could still use your help with cleaning up before it get's dark. Me and Rukia will handle this."

Uryu couldn't help feeling agitated at Ichigo for not noticing the pain Orihime was clearly trying to mask. Was he really that dense when it came to her? Rukia looked at Orihime with worry as well, she knew of her feelings for Ichigo, and while she felt a little jealousy over it at times, she was still her friend, and she hated seeing someone as kind as Orihime hide her sadness with a smile.

Suddenly she heard Ichigo call her name and turned to look up at him. "Huh? What did you say, Ichigo?"

"I said are you ready to go?"

Rukia nodded. "Yes. I'm sure Renji's already gotten the gatekeeper's permission."

Ichigo nodded before turning back to look at his friends. "Well, I'll see you guys later." he said before he and Rukia headed toward the side exit that Renji left through earlier.

Orihime looked down as Ichigo and Rukia left. Her heart was racing, and she felt it was close to breaking. What was she going to do? Ichigo planned to live here in the Soul Society, and while they would still be able to see each other, they were going to be living in two separate worlds. Orihime wanted him to stay with her, so why hadn't she spoken up earlier? Was she that afraid of rejection? Was she such a coward? Orihime could feel tears stinging her eyes, but she held off on making any noises so that she didn't worry Uryu or Chad. It was hard though, Orihime wanted Ichigo to come home, she wanted him to stay with her.

 _"I-I-Ichigo..."_ she cried mentally as she looked up to see that Ichigo and Rukia had almost left the courtyard. She hesitated only a second longer before she sprinted after the two.

"Orihime!" Uryu cried out holding out his hand to try to stop her, but Orihime didn't turn around. He looked sadly to the ground. He had a sickening feeling that he knew what she was going to do... and it hurt him to realize that.

Orihime continued spriniting despite Uryu's call. Her mind was made up. Ichigo and Rukia had left the courtyard already, but Orihime was fast approaching the exit. When she finally crossed into the next street, she saw that they hadn't gotten very far. Ichigo and Rukia spun around at the sound of footsteps and saw Orihime standing there panting heavily.

"Orihime, what-?" Ichigo began before Orihime interrupted.

"Ichigo, wait!" she exclaimed desperately. "I need to talk to you about something..."

The Soul Reaper was left confused at his friend's behavior. Rukia on the other hand, could tell where this was going. "I'll be waiting at the Senkaimon gate, Ichigo." she told Ichigo quietly. Rukia decided that she would give them some privacy, and continued walking down the street as Ichigo grew even more confused as he watched Rukia leave. Orihime was curious about Rukia's decision to leave them alone for a moment before she refocused on what she needed to do before she lost her nerve.

"Orihime, what's wrong?" Ichigo muttered, wondering why Orihime looked so uneasy.

"Ichigo..." Orihime's voice trembled as she felt the tears returning to her eyes. "Are you... really going to leave Karakura Town to live in Soul Society?"

Ichigo was really concerned now. Why did she look like she was going to cry. "Yeah..." he answered worriedly.

Orihime tilted her head down as she felt like her insides had disappeared again. "I see..." she whispered before continuing more audibly. "I understand why you want to. I know how much being a Soul Reaper and wanting to protect the people you care about means to you. So I want you to know, that I support your decision one hundred percent." Orihime could feel her voice trembling worse with every word she spoke. "Ichigo... I..."

Ichigo took a step forward as he became nervous at Orihime's pause. "Orihime?" It was then that Orihime's head rose up again, with tears finally in her eyes.

"Ichigo, I want to stay with you!" she choked at last, rendering Ichigo speechless.

Ichigo's eyes widened at what Orihime just said. She wanted to stay with him? Why? After an uncomfortable silence where the redheaed beauty waited for his response, Ichigo finally spoke. "What're you talking about, Orihime?"

"If you're gonna stay here, than I want to stay with you too!" Orihime cried tearfully. "We may still be able to see each other, but it's not enough. I-I don't think I could bear being so far apart from you Ichigo if you stay here! I... I want to be where you are always."

"Are you crazy, Orihime?!" Ichigo snapped. "I don't understand! Where's all of this coming from?!"

Despite the situation, Orihime giggled slightly. "Maybe I am a little crazy... It's what happens when..." she whispered before cutting herself off. Her heartbeat accelerated tenfold, and her face became beat red. It was finally time.

"Orihime?" Ichigo muttered, fearful of why she was acting like this. "It happens when what?"

Orihime finally looked straight at Ichigo. "Craziness happens sometimes... when you're in love."

Ichigo was rendered speechless once again. Even someone as clueless about love as himself understood what Orihime meant by that. She was in love with him? Orihime Inoue, the most popular and beautiful woman at Karakura High, was in love with him? Now that he thought about it though, he could remember many occasions when the two were alone and she would sometimes act strange around him, or sound extremely nervous. He didn't question any of it at first, but now he knew the reasons why Orihime would act like that. It was because of love.

Orihime stood there staring at the man she loved with a tearstroked face. "I love you, Ichigo." she confessed at last. "I've been in love with you for a long time now."

Ichigo blushed as he turned away from the beauty. "I see." he whispered. Orihime noticed his red face had fallen and he looked almost sad. "I'm sorry, for not noticing it until now..." The girl felt her heartrate increase again. "But, I'm sorry Orihime... I can't let you stay here... or return your feelings."

Orihime's eyes widened as cracks began to form in her compassionate heart. Ichigo walked forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, causing her to look directly into his beautiful brown eyes. "Orihime. I care about you a lot." he told her sadly. "After all that's happened between us, you've become like a sister to me. You're one of my best friends, and I'll always think of you as such. But you have family that doesn't know about the experiences we go through, who also support you back home. It would devestate them if you left. It's easy for me to stay because I'm already a Soul Reaper and my dad knows that. I can't have a normal life, and I don't want you to ruin your chance for one because of me. You deserve to go home, to graduate, to work a job I know you'd enjoy and live that normal life to the fullest... and I know that when you do meet the right guy, he'll be luckiest guy in the world to have you."

Orihime listened to Ichigo's words as tears poured down her face. Ichigo wiped them away with his thumbs as he continued. "I wish I could return your feelings, Orihime. But... I can't."

The kind girl felt her heart shatter at those words. She had known, deep down, that that was likely the case, but that didn't stop his rejection from hurting, and Ichigo knew that he had hurt Orihime, and he hated himself for that. But it was still best to be honest.

"I understand." whispered a heart-broken Orihime. "Thank you for being honest, Ichigo."

Ichigo gave Orihime a hug that lasted about a minute before separating. "I gotta go now." he said sadly.

"Yeah, I know." replied Orihime, smiling despite her broken heart. Ichigo smiled at her too before he took off running down the street heading for the Senkaimon. After the Soul Reaper had vanished from sight, Orihime's smile faded and was replaced with a look of pure misery as she finally let the tears cascade down her cheeks.

A minute passed before she heard something behind her. She turned around to see a familiar face. "Uryu?" she whispered.

Uryu stood there, looking sad as he saw Orihime's tears. He had overheard their conversation, and it pained him to see a woman he cared about so much look so heartbroken. Uryu was furious with Ichigo for hurting her, but like Ichigo had said, it was for the best to be honest. Orihime just stared at the Quincy as he looked at her sadly.

"I'm sorry, Orihime." he whispered miserably.

Orihime trembled as her emotions overwhelmed her. She turned and threw her arms around Uryu's neck and hugged him as she cried into his chest. Uryu held her tightly, stroking her head and assuring her it would be alright. They remained like that for several moments as Chad watched them from the courtyard entrance.

* * *

Renji and Rukia stood by the giant Senkaimon Gate as the sun had almost fully set in the Seireitei. When Rukia had arrived without Ichigo, she told Renji that she left him to talk with Orihime in private. That was almost half an hour ago though.

"Where is he?" Renji complained. "It's getting late."

"Shut up, he'll be here soon." Rukia snapped, feeling agitated herself at her soon-to-be lieutenant's tardiness. Rukia hoped that this wouldn't be a common occurance when he finally begins his Soul Reaper duties.

"You think he got lost on his way here?"

"Wouldn't surprise me."

"I heard that!" came an angry voice in the distance. Rukia and Renji looked up to see Ichigo sprinting toward them before stopping right in front of them to catch his breath.

"Took you long enough." Renji said bitterly.

"Shut up! I forgot how to get here!" Ichigo snapped back.

"So you did get lost? You better take the time to memorize where everything is here if you plan to stay with us."

Before Ichigo could retort, Rukia spoke. "Everything go alright with Orihime?"

Ichigo frowned as he told her and Renji about his and Orihime's conversation. After telling them that he rejected her, Rukia stood in shock. To be honest, she hadn't expected that. But Rukia couldn't help but feel relieved. She felt bad for Orihime, but that meant there was still a chance for...

Rukia shook her head roughly to banish such thoughts. She couldn't focus on that right now.

"I see." was all she said before she, Ichigo and Renji turned their attention to the hundred foot high doors of the Senkaimon. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah." Ichigo responded.

Immediately the Senkaimon doors began to open, and a bright white light appeared on the other side. The Senkaimon coordinates had been entered, and Ichigo's party would disembark right outside the Kurosaki residence in Karakura Town. After about a minute the doors had fully opened, and Ichigo, Rukia and Renji dashed into the gates immediately, disappearing into the light as the Senkaimon doors closed behind them.

* * *

 **So... Is it wrong that I was tearing up while writing Ichigo and Orihime's scene? Seriously though, I hope I did a good job writing that. In case your wondering, that was the important scene that I mentioned in the author's notes, and it would be embarrassing if I didn't deliver on the goods. I think it was well done and in-character for both characters, but let me know what ya'll think. I feel like crying when Orihime's sad, honestly someone as sweet as her shouldn't feel sad, but Ichigo rejecting her was necessary for what I have planned for this alternate ending to Bleach. But at least Uryu's there to comfort her ;)**

 **And I decided to bring back the Soul Tickets for the ending, since they were introduced during the last storyline but for some reason were never utilized. That was something that always bothered me, especially since it seemed like the story was leaning toward Ichigo staying in Soul Society at that point. Oh well, at least I can play with the idea for this story.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed Chapter 687. Next time we'll see Ichigo saying goodbye to his friends and family from Karakura Town. Until then, let me know what you thought of this chapter, or leave a favorite or follow. See ya'll next time :)**


	4. Bleach 688 Goodbye 2

**A/N: Heyooooo guys! What's up? It's been a while hasn't it? Sorry it's been so long since I've updated this story, but my workload at my job had increased a little bit since the last update. However, the big reason why it took so long to update was because I needed to rethink some things regarding this story. See, last chapter I said that Bleach: Volume 75 was going to be 6 chapters long. That is still the end goal, but I was trying to see if I could squeeze everything I wanted to do for this and the next chapter into one large chapter. In the end, I decided not to do that, but I did rework some things. So yeah, that's the major reason why this chapter took a while to get done. Sorry about that :(**

 **Alright I'm done talking now. Time to get to the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy Chapter 688. Goodbye 2.**

* * *

 **Bleach 688. Goodbye 2**

* * *

The sun was just starting to disappear behind the horizon when Ichigo, Rukia and Renji appeared in Karakura Town. Rukia turned to see the sliding doors of the Senkaimon close and disappear as the two men looked up at the building they found themselves in front of: Kurosaki Clinic.

"You ready?" was all Renji asked Ichigo.

Ichigo sighed in annoyance. "Yes Renji, I'm ready." he turned to his friendly rival. "How many times have you asked that question today, anyway? It's getting kinda annoying."

Renji glared back at Ichigo. "Lay off! I'm just trying being considerate, here!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes before walking up to his front door. "I told you, I've made up my mind." Ichigo was just about to grasp his door knob when Renji suddenly stopped him.

"Wait, Ichigo!" This made Ichigo turn back to him. "What about your body? Shouldn't you change back into a human if your going to talk with your friends and family?"

"There's no need." said Rukia simply, which made Renji turn to her in confusion. "You'll see why soon. There's also no need for us to change into our Gigais." Rukia already knew that Ichigo's father was a Soul Reaper, due to them being involved with helping Ichigo regain his Soul Reaper powers to fight the Fullbringers, so there was no point in using gigais for meeting with Ichigo's spiritually-aware family.

Ichigo finally opened his front door. He crossed the entryway before calling out "Dad, I'm ba-!" The teenager didn't even finish before a foot collided with his face, sending him flying over the street and slamming into the opposite wall. Rukia and Renji stood there in stunned silence as Ichigo slid comically from the wall and onto the concrete. The two turned to face the person who had kicked Ichigo: his father, Isshin Kurosaki, clad in his shuhakusho.

"Damn it, Ichigo!" shouted Isshin, pointing furiously at his possibly injured son. "Not paying attention again, I see! Your even in your Soul Reaper form! How many times do I gotta tell you to always be on you-?!"

Payback though, was a bitch. This time, Isshin hadn't finished before Ichigo sped over to ram his foot into his father's gut, sending the elder Kurosaki flying back into their house. "Jeez old man! Were you waiting behind that door for me to come back just so you could do that?!" Ichigo yelled furiously as Rukia and Renji just watched this unusual family reunion in confusion.

"That's his father?" Renji muttered. "Why did he just do that?"

"This is normal for them." Rukia responded with a frown. "Trust me."

It was at that point that the Squad Six lieutenant finally noticed what Ichigo's father was wearing. Confused, Renji spoke up. "Wait a sec, that's a shuhakusho!" he spoke, pointing at Isshin as he and his son stopped their arguing to look at him. Isshin merely stared at Renji for a moment before another realization occured to the surprised lieutenant. _"Wait! Can he see me?!"_

Isshin then turned to the person next to Renji, and his eyes immediately lit up as he gasped happily. "Rukiaaa!" he shouted ecstatically, dashing over to lift the stunned captain into his arms. "It's been so long, sweetie! I'm so glad to see you again!"

"M-M-Mr. Kurosaki?" cried an embarrassed Rukia as Isshin rubbed his face against her's. "P-Put me down, will you!"

Ichigo just stared in disbelief as his father hugged his tiny captain affectionately before frowning. "How come you're never that friendly when ya see me after awhile, huh?" he asked Isshin bitterly. Isshin ignored his jealous son and continued hugging Rukia, much to her annoyance. A second later, she herself knocked the clingy father away.

Isshin lifted himself off the ground again, rubbing his sore head. "I guess I deserved that one." he admitted before turning to look back at his son. "So, what brings you here in your Soul Reaper form?"

"Wait, he knows Ichigo's a Soul Reaper?" exclaimed Renji, still confused. "And he can see us and hug you? What is going on here?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes at Renji before addressing his father. "Dad, we need to talk." he said as he held his hand out to help Isshin off the ground.

Isshin stared hard at his son for a moment. He was at the Soul King Palace when Ichigo and Renji had left to fight Yhwach back in the Seireitei, but Ichigo didn't know that. He knew something must've happened after the Quincy's defeat, because his son looked uncharacteristically serious. He wondered what had happened.

"Alright then, let's go inside." Isshin said as he led Ichigo, Rukia and Renji into the house.

* * *

Rukia and Renji sat on the sofa opposite Isshin in the Kurosaki house's living room. While Ichigo was upstairs calling Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro to come over, his father finally decided to answer Renji's questions. After his explanation, Renji shot up from his seat in disbelief.

"NO WAY!" he screamed in shock. "Are you REALLY former Captain of Squad Ten Shiba?!" Isshin nodded, which made the Squad Six lieutenant blink at him. "Wow! I thought you sorta looked like him, just older. But since your last name was Kurosaki, I didn't even guess that that was a possibility." Renji said as he sat back down. "Man, I thought you were killed or something cause you never came back."

At this, Isshin grinned. "Nah, just lost my powers in order to save my future wife." he said proudly. "Got them back shortly after Ichigo first got his Soul Reaper powers."

Renji then turned to his friend. "So wait, you knew about this Rukia?"

The new captain turned to the redhead and nodded. "Ever since he and Kisuke let me in on the plan to restore Ichigo's powers when those Fullbringers were causing trouble."

"I see, so that's why you said we didn't have to put on our Gigais." realized Renji, making Rukia nod again.

Ichigo had finally returned from upstairs, holding his cellphone. "Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro are on their way over now." he then turned to his father. "Where are Yuzu and Karin?"

"They should be home any minute." answered Isshin. "They went to the store to buy some groceries." The former captain noticed that his son was staring at him intently. "What?"

"Aren't you gonna change back?" asked Ichigo curiously, referencing his Soul Reaper form. "I'm sure Yuzu won't be able to see you like that, and Karin would ask questions." To Ichigo's surprise though, Isshin smirked.

"Don't worry, they already know what I am. While you were at the Royal Palace getting Zangetsu all fixed up, The new head captain stopped by to give us our Soul Tickets. We had to take turns explaining things to Yuzu and Karin. About us being Soul Reapers and what all you've been doing all the times that your gone. Oh yeah, and Yuzu can finally see spirits." Ichigo blinked in surprise at this news. "Yeah, it must of only just started happening for her. I was worried for Yuzu for a while, since Karin could see spirits but she couldn't, but she could definately see him and talk with Kyoraku when he was here, and he wasn't wearing a Gigai."

Ichigo suddenly felt stupid. "Oh man, I hadn't even thought about Yuzu not being able to see us since we're not in Gigais. Looks like fate saved us there."

"Fate nothin'!" Isshin bellowed. "She's cut from Soul Reaper and Quincy stock. She'd of learned how to see spirits eventually."

Rukia suddenly balked wide-eyed. "Ichigo, did he just say that you're part Quincy?"

"Huh?" Ichigo stared in confusion before realization hit him. "Oh yeah, I never had time to tell you that, did I Rukia?" After Rukia shook her head, Ichigo explained. "Yeah, dad told me a few days ago that my mother was a Quincy. A Quincy killed by Grand Fisher after Yhwach stole her powers."

Rukia stared at her new lieutenant with sadness in her heart. She remembered when Ichigo had told her about his mother's passing, how he said it had been his fault shortly before meeting the Hollow actually responsible for Masaki Kurosaki's death. It must have been awful for Ichigo to find out what really led to her death. Sure enough, he looked a little down after having spoken about the ordeal. Rukia's heart went out to him. Her thoughts were interrupted by the front door opening and the voice of Yuzu Kurosaki yelling out.

"Dad! We're back from the store with things for din-!" Yuzu appeared carrying her load of groceries, but she stopped talking when she noticed Ichigo standing there. Immediately a bright smile came to her face. "Ichigo! Yaaay, you're back!" she exclaimed as she dropped her bags onto the table and threw her arms around her brother's torso.

Ichigo smirked. Looks like their dad was right about Yuzu finally seeing him. "Hey Yuzu, it's good to see you." he said good-naturedly, hugging his sister as Karin entered the living room.

"Ichigo?" said a surprised Karin, before sprinting over to hug Ichigo herself. "Where have you been?! Dad and that Kyoraku guy said you were at the Soul Society training to fight someone evil!"

Ichigo smiled as he hugged his little sisters. Karin usually wasn't one to show such emotion, so he was touched by her relief to see him unharmed. "Don't worry about it, he's gone now. We won."

"So you saved the world, again?" Yuzu asked in awe as she and Karin let go of their brother. Ichigo merely nodded. It was then that Yuzu noticed the other two Soul Reapers sitting on their couch. "Oh Rukia! You're back! It's been so long since we've heard from you!" Yuzu exclaimed excitedly, rushing over to greet Rukia. "I've missed you."

Rukia smiled at the sweet girl. "It's great to see you too, Yuzu." she said kindly before turning to the other sister. "You as well, Karin." Karin grinned and waved, but remained silent.

As Rukia introduced Yuzu and Karin to Renji, there came a knock on the front door. "That's probably Tatsuki and the others." said Ichigo, feeling nervous.

"They got here quicker than I thought." said Isshin as he got up to answer the door. Ichigo listened as his father greeted someone at the door, and he heard the voice of Keigo greeting his father, followed by Tatsuki's curt "hey" and Mizuiro's "Good evening, sir" before Isshin returned to the living room, with Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro entering next. Their faces were flushed and sweaty, and they looked out of breath. They must have run all the way here after Ichigo had called them. The first thing the three high schoolers saw when they entered the living room was Ichigo in his shuhakusho.

"IIIIIIIIIchiiiiiigooooooo!" came the familiar ecstatic cry of Keigo as he dashed his way over to his best friend. He was greeted by Ichigo's patented Keigo-Greeter: the clothesline. Keigo fell hard to the ground grinning like an idiot as Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Yo, Keigo." he said nonchalantly before looking back at his oldest friend and Mizuiro. "Tatsuki, Mizuiro, thanks for coming on such short notice."

"It's no problem." Tatsuki stated casually. She usually wouldn't admit it out loud, but she had been worried sick about Ichigo and whether or not he would return after their meeting with that head Soul Reaper captain. "Where's Orihime?"

"Yeah, and Chad?" Keigo continued, getting up off the ground. "They've been gone for as long as you have. Uryu too for that matter."

"Don't worry, they're all okay." Ichigo informed them. The three teens breathed sighs of relief before Ichigo continued. "They're in the Soul Society helping them fix the place up after it got wrecked. They should be back soon." his expression became serious. "But like I said, I'm glad you guys came. We have some things we need to talk about."

"Whaddya mean, Ichigo?" Mizuiro looked past Ichigo to see everybody else gathered around the living room. Isshin was in his armchair, while Yuzu and Karin sat on the sofa next to a familiar Soul Reaper. "Oh, Rukia's here too." he said with a smile. "It's been a while." Rukia nodded politely.

"And you must be Renji." Tatsuki addressed the red-haired lieutenant.

Renji was rather shocked by this human girl's correct assumption. "Yeah? Have we met before?" he answered.

Tatsuki's face turned red, and for once she couldn't blame it on her rushing to get here. The strong-willed martial artist usually wasn't one to pay attention to the opposite sex, what with her experience being friends with guys like Ichgio, a knucklehead too dense to see the obvious feelings her best friend had for him, Keigo for being a pervert, Mizuiro being a player and Chad for... well, being Chad. But despite that, she couldn't help noticing how... ruggedly handsome, this guy looked. The thought made Tatsuki blush again.

"N-No, but I've heard Ichigo talk about you before." Tatsuki replied with her arms crossed, turning away to hide her flushed face. "It was j-just, refreshing I guess to finally meet this rival he's boasted so much about." Renji just looked confused at Tatsuki's behavior.

Rukia looked between her best friend and Ichigo's best friend confused herself, until it dawned on her. She smirked knowingly.

"Alright, now that everyone's been introduced." Isshin suddenly called out, getting everybody's attention. "Ichigo, explain why you've gathered us all here."

"Right." replied Ichigo.

After everybody in the room took a seat, Ichigo finally began to tell them about everything that had happened since he had left. About Oetsu Nimaiya reforging Zangetsu for him, returning to the Soul Society to help battle the Wandenreich, to following Yhwach back to the Soul King's Palace, to the final battles with Yhwach, in which he had absorbed Aizen and Ichigo delivering the final blow with the help of Uryu's silver arrow. Isshin was particularly pleased to hear that Aizen had been killed alongside Yhwach, while Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro assumed that this guy Yhwach must've been responsible for that tremor they experienced at school recently.

Then Ichigo told them about the aftermath, particularly the head captain's offer for him to stay in the Soul Society to become a full-fledged Soul Reaper. When his sisters, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro began to protest, he assured them that they weren't forcing him to stay there, that he had made the decision on his own, and that he wanted this. Surprising to Ichigo, his father didn't look to upset about the news of his son leaving. Instead, was it his imagination... or was he smiling with pride?

"So that's pretty much it." Ichigo finished explaining. "I'll be joining the Thirteen Court Guard Squads as Rukia's lieutenant. But I'll staying here for a week before I have to leave."

As Ichigo had predicted, tears started to form in Yuzu's eyes. She understood his decision, but she was still sad about her brother leaving this world to join the gods of death. Yuzu got up and wrapped her arms around Ichigo again. Rukia's heart went out to the sweet-hearted girl.

"Come on Yuzu, it'll be okay." Ichigo said gently, stroking her head. "We'll still be able to see each other. This isn't goodbye." he looked up to see his friends glancing at each other before Tatsuki chuckled. "What Tatsuki?" he asked curiously.

Tatsuki turned to him. "It's just... since we met that head captain guy, we already had a feeling what you were going to decide. But... it's nice to know that they aren't forcing you to stay."

"And your not angry." said Ichigo, rather shocked.

"Nah." stated Mizuiro sadly, but still smiling. "We've known for a long time how much you love being a Soul Reaper. Even after you lost your powers, no matter how much you tried to deny it, we knew that you missed them. So... it's only natural for you to want to stay there."

Keigo butted in next. "We've had a bit to think things over between us. Granted, we didn't take the thought of you leaving well, but after thinking about it, we decided to support you no matter what."

"Mizuiro... Keigo..." muttered Ichigo as Yuzu finally let him go.

"It's just nice to know that all of us can still see each other when you do leave." everybody turned to Karin. "I'm assuming Orihime, Chad and Uryu got Soul Tickets too right?" Ichigo nodded. "That's good."

Ichigo smiled at his other little sister. He wondered though, why she was suddenly smirking.

"And who knows..." she began with her arms crossed. "Maybe you'll actually keep this job for more than a month." Ichigo glared at Karin.

"Why you!" Ichigo muttered furiously, making everybody in the room laugh. The new lieutenant rolled his eyes, not amused about being teased. He smied thoughtfully a moment later though, as he was thrilled about his friends respnse. Everything worked out okay. "Thanks guys." he whispered to himself.

Isshin got up from his armchair and placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "You've finally become a man." Isshin told his son with a smile. "I'm proud of you, Ichigo."

Ichigo was stunned, and he couldn't come up with a response. So he just grinned, as pride swelled up inside him.

"Alright everyone!" Isshin exclaimed. "It's my son's last week here in the World of the Living! This calls for a party! Yuzu, start preparing dinner, we have about six more people joining us tonight."

Yuzu wiped away her tears before looking determined. "Okay, dad!" she dashed over to prepare making supper. Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro didn't ask, they just said that with a dinner this large they would need more ingredients. So they got a list from Yuzu, and left for the marketplace to buy some more food. Karin got up from her seat to help Yuzu with the preparations.

"W-Wait! What?" Rukia balked at what Isshin just told her.

"I said your spending the night with us tonight!" Ichigo's dad said joyfully. "I wanna spend some time with my son's future wif-" he caught himself. "-I mean, future captain, before she takes him away from me for life!" Ichigo heard the exchange and blushed madly, knowing what his father was about to say. Rukia's face had become red with embarrassment too. "Of course, we don't have a spare room for you anymore..." Isshin smirked. "So I guess you'll just have to share Ichigo's room tonight!"

Ichigo hit his father, still red in the face. "Dirty old man! Why do you always gotta embarass me like that?!" Secretly, he didn't mind the thought, but he was pretty sure Rukia might punch him for what his father said.

Little did he know, that Rukia actually found the thought quite pleasing... Even if it was Isshin who had suggested it.

Ichigo, Rukia and Renji began to help out Yuzu and Karin. About ten minutes later, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro returned with bags of more shrimp, meat and vegetables for dinner. Isshin got some sodas from the refridgerator and set them down for everyone. Suddenly a knock came at the door. Ichigo got up and answered, unsure of who it could possibly be.

"Chad!" he greeted the giant pleasently. "You're back."

Chad nodded. "Yeah, Captain Zaraki just dismissed us." he heard noises coming inside. "What's going on in there?"

"Oh, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro are over. They're helping Yuzu and Karin fix dinner." It was then that Ichigo suddenly noticed something. "Wait, where's Uryu and Orihime?"

"They went to see his dad." Chad answered. "They said they'll be here later. Do you want some help?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice." Ichigo stood aside and let his giant friend in before closing the door.

* * *

The sun had finally finished setting in Karakura Town as the street lamps across the city turned on, the night sky dotted with stars surrounding a full moon. Walking down the trail by Karakura Town's river were two teenagers, recently returned home from the Soul Society. Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue were on their way to Karakura Town's general hospital to see the former's father, so he could thank him for providing him with the means to help him and Ichigo defeat Yhwach for good.

The Quincy wasn't looking forward to it. Even though Ryuken had helped him out, he was still his annoying, arrogant and hateful father. However, Uryu wanted to at LEAST try and patch things up now that his mother had been avenged. Hopefully, Ryuken would finally calm down enough to not detest him so much. They were, now officially, the last Quincies in existence, and they were family. A disfunctional family, but still family.

He turned to look down at Orihime. She had been quiet for their entire walk. She had volunteered to accompany him to see his father after they and Chad had returned. Uryu assumed that she was scared to face Ichigo right now. It had only been a couple hours since he had rejected her feelings, and Uryu felt sad for the only girl to ever show him true kindness, as well as anger at Ichigo for turning down such an amazing girl.

"Orihime." he suddenly said.

The break in silence startled Orihime as she looked up at the Quincy "Yeah!" she exclaimed hastily.

"I appreciate you accompanying me tonight. But can I ask why you wanted to?" Uryu asked as casually as he could.

Orihime's expression returned to what it was, and she suddenly stopped walking. Uryu was worried that he hadn't been very tactful by asking her that question, but a minute later the beautiful redhead looked back up at him. "Uryu... can we sit down for a moment?"

Uryu nodded immediately, and he led her over to the riverside so they could sit on the grass. He gave her a moment to get her bearings before Orihime began. And when she did, she was trembling. "Uryu... do you think I'm a coward?"

Uryu was surprised by Orihime's question. He didn't even hesitate. "Of course you're not!" he exclaimed before asking more calmly. "Why would you ask such a silly question?"

"Because I'm afraid... I'm afraid to face Ichigo right now." Orihime's voice trembled as she explained. "After our talk earlier... I-I'm not sure if I'm ready to face him yet... That's why I wanted to come with you." she sat in the fetal position hugging her legs. "I... I was just wondering... if thinking like that was cowardly...?"

Uryu's heart went out to Orihime. He knew that that was what was bothering her. Uryu reached up to hold her cheek and turned her saddened face to his. "Orihime, don't ever let me hear you call yourself that again." he said harshly as her eyes widened at this, Uryu explained more softly. "You helped Ichigo during his first battle with Yhwach, and even before that, you've been involved with many of our battles. You didn't hesitate to travel with him to Soul Society to help Rukia, and you willingly followed that arrancar to Hueco Mundo in order to save your friends from being killed." When a tear formed in Orihime's eyes, Uryu used his thumb to wipe it away. "You've always been brave. That's why you didn't hesitate to tell Ichigo how you felt after working up the nerve."

Orihime couldn't look away from the Quincy as he spoke such comforting words. Everything he said was right, and she could feel a fresh wave of tears trickle down her face. Uryu smiled and wiped these away too before removing his hands from her face, leaving Orihime slightly disappointed. She couldn't explain it, but she enjoyed Uryu's touch, and she wished that he hadn't pulled away.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out for you." Uryu said sadly.

Orihime frowned. After everything Uryu had said, she wasn't upset anymore. She wasn't bitter either. But there was still a little regret. "Honestly, I think I've known for a long time that it was never meant to be between us." she admitted, much to Uryu's surprise. "Ichigo just always seemed so... distant whenever it came to the two of us. I know he cared about me, but it was the same kind of care he showed to everyone else he knew. It wasn't..." Orihime trailed off, feeling dejected. Uryu sat next to her, giving her time enough to think before she continued. When she looked up at her Quincy friend again, Uryu was surprised by her determined look. "As much as it hurt initially, I've been thinking about it and... I think I'm finally ready to move on from Ichigo."

Uryu couldn't help feeling skeptical about that claim. "Are you sure, Orihime?" he asked cautiously. "That's pretty soon. It's only been a couple hours, and I thought you'd want more time."

Orihime smiled at her friend. "Yes, I'm sure." her voice didn't waver at all when she spoke. "I had promised myself that I would get stronger after Ichigo lost his powers. Physically, mentally... and emotionally. I'll be fine Uryu. Thank you for listening, and for saying such nice things to me."

Uryu Ishida finally smiled. There was no hesitation in Orihime's declaration, so he felt positive about believing her. "That's good..." for a moment the two teenagers just sat and looked up at the stars in the sky, until Uryu broke the silence again. "I think Ichigo is extremely foolish letting a girl like you go, Orihime."

Orihime giggled. "That's nice of you Uryu. But I wish Ichigo nothing but the best."

"Still though." Uryu said, causing Orihime to look back at him. She noticed that his face looked flushed. "I can't imagine anyone turning down such a smart and beautiful woman. People would kill to have the chance to be with you Orihi-" his words ceased instantly as he felt a pair of lips touch his left cheek.

Uryu was rendered speechless, his heart rate accelerated tenfold, and his face blushed crimson. All because Orihime Inoue, the prettiest girl he had ever known, was kissing him on the cheek. The kiss lasted about five seconds before Orihime finally pulled away. A blushing Uryu turned to see her smiling.

"Thank you, Uryu." Orihime said happily. "You're such a sweetheart. I wish you'd show that side of yourself more."

Uryu didn't know what to say for a moment. _"She just kissed me!"_ he shouted mentally. The girl he was in love with had just kissed him! Sure, it had been on the cheek, but that was still more intimate than any moment she had shared with Ichigo. Was this really happening? Was it possible that...? No. He had to think about this. The thought of possibly taking advantage of her by doing this crossed his mind, and while he was slightly worried about it, Orihime seemed so certain about moving on from Ichigo. Maybe it would be alright.

"Uryu?" Orihime asked, looking worried for her Quincy friend as his head was tilted down.

Finally, Uryu came to a decision.

"Orihime..." he started, looking back at her and looking confident. "Would you mind if I did something... bold?"

The redheaded girl was confused. _"Bold?"_ she thought as Uryu moved closer to her. She was taken aback by how confident he looked, and her heart began beating when the Quincy placed his fingers underneath her chin, causing her to look directly into his beautiful azure eyes, hidden behind his spectacles. Within seconds they were face to face, and then it happened.

Uryu pressed his lips against her's.

Orihime's eyes widened and her insides felt like they were on fire. Uryu Ishida was kissing her on the lips. She was stunned for a few seconds before her eyes closed, and Orihime returned Uryu's affections with equal passion. She wrapped her arms around Uryu's neck and pulled him in closer, while he held onto her thin, exposed waist. After a few minutes of kissing passionately, the teens separated to regain some air. The two teens faces were beet red as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Why... Why did you do that...?" panted a curious Orihime.

"Because... I've wanted to do that for two years." Uryu replied, breathing heavily.

Uryu's words surprised Orihime. "Really?"

"Yes. Because I knew how much you were in love with Ichigo, I respected your wish to pursue him and restrained myself. But if you're really ready to move on... then would you be willing... to give me a chance?"

Orihime remained quiet for a moment before she smiled brightly. Uryu had never seen her look so happy. She wanted to cry tears of joy, but she held them back at the fear of worrying Uryu. It was hard though. Orihime was so happy. For so long she wanted to be loved, and now she would finally get that chance.

"Yes." whispered Orihime happily, making Uryu's face blush madly. "Yes, of course I will Uryu." That was all she said before bringing the Quincy in for another kiss. The new couple held each other as they kissed for the next moment, completely lost in their newfound happiness.

It was just too bad that their moment had to be spoiled.

"Well, well." came a voice. Uryu and Orihime's eyes reopened and they remained frozen with their lips still connected. Uryu felt his heart stop. He knew that voice. The new lovers spun their heads up toward the trail, where Ryuken Ishida stood glaring down at the teens.

Embarrassed beyond belief, Uryu and Orihime shot up from the grass. "R-R-R-Ryuken!" Uryu stuttered furiously. "W-What're you doing here?!"

"As disrespectful as always I see." stated Ryuken, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Is that any way to speak to the father who helped you earlier?"

"Forget about that?" Uryu snapped. "What're you doing out here?"

"Walking home. My time at the hospital is over." Ryuken suddenly smirked. "Did I pass by at the wrong moment?"

Orihime waved her arms around frantically. "O-Oh! No no no, Dr. Ishida! We were actually just on our way to see you, sir. W-We just got side-tracked."

"Yes Miss Inoue, I noticed." Ryuken said to her more politely before turning his stoney stare back at his son. "So why did you want to see me, Uryu?"

Uryu tried to get his emotions in check. It was rather humiliating to be busted by his own father doing something so intimate with a girl. But now that he was here, it was now time to say something that he never thought he would say.

Ryuken waited for his son's response patiently. He didn't have to wait long. "Ryuken." Uryu began as calmly as he could. "Thank you." Ryuken remained stoic on the outside, but inside he was greatly surprised to hear his hard-headed son say such a thing to him. "Thank you for showing up and giving me the tool to help us defeat Yhwach."

Ryuken let Uryu's words sink in before responding. He turned away from his son and said. "There's no need for you to thank me, Uryu. I was merely doing my part to make sure Kanae could be avenged. Just like you did your part when you joined the Vandenreich."

Uryu looked at his father in surprise. He couldn't remember the last time Ryuken had talked to him so calmly.

"If you ever want to talk..." Ryuken continued, spinning around to face Uryu with a small smile. "You know where to find me."

Uryu grinned slightly. Maybe things could be mended after all.

"Miss Inoue!" Ryuken called out to Uryu's new girlfriend.

"Y-Yes, Dr. Ishida!" Orihime stuttered nervously.

"Be sure to make a man out of my son." he said bluntly, making the two teens turn bright red. "He has a bit of a masculinity problem and I'd like you to fix it." He then turned and continued down the road.

Uryu glared daggers at his father. He took it back, he hoped Ryuken got eaten by a Hollow on his way home!

Despite being embarrassed, Orihime giggled slightly, happy that Uryu and his father were more than likely going to patch things up. She stood by Uryu, grasping his hand with her's and bringing him out of his angry thoughts.

"Well, since we're done with your dad. How about we go over to Ichigo's?" she said brightly.

Uryu grinned. "I'd like that. But let's change out of these clothes first." he motioned to his Vandenreich uniform and Orihime's... um... revealing costume. "I'm sure you're wanting to get out of that outfit."

Orihime and Uryu headed down the trail toward their apartment complexes, looking forward to ridding themselves of their undesirable outfits and having a wonderful time at Ichigo's house to celebrate his last week in the World of the Living.

* * *

 **And that is that! So what did you all think of Chapter 688? Some people may find it strange that I decided to pair up Uryu with Orihime before Ichigo and Rukia, but I promise. Next chapter, will be their time. Besides, Ishihime is my Bleach OTP (Hell, favorite pairing ever probably), and I had been anxious to get to their moment. I REALLY hope I got their romance right in spite of the short time in which Orihime got over Ichigo, because that is the couple I needed to get right the most for my sake and I thought I did an okay job with their hook up. But, let me know what you all thought.**

 **Also, how bout that Renji x Tatsuki teasing? Maybe it's forced at this point, but I don't want Renji to end up alone. Ya'll understand right?**

 **Luckily, since I reworked some things around in this story, the next chapter likely won't take nearly as long to get done. So unless I become lazy (likely, not gonna lie :P), look for Chapter 689 soon :)**

 **So now, Ichigo's family, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro now know that Ichgio will be leaving them soon for the Soul Society. What will happen next? Find out next time! Until then, leave a favorite, follow and review to let me know what you thought of this chapter. See ya'll soon! Peace out! :)**


	5. Bleach 689 A Perfect End

**A/N: I'm baaack! How's it going Bleach fans? TDDolphin here, and I'm pleased to present the final chapter of my personal ending to Bleach! Yep, you heard that right, this chapter will be the last one for this story. Yeah, my goal was to write 6 chapters for Bleach: Volume 75 - The End, with the 6th chapter being an Epilogue that took place 10 or so years later, but after thinking about it, I think this chapter serves as a pretty good outing without really needing to write an Epilogue. What do I mean by that? Can't tell ya! You gotta read to find out :)**

 **But don't worry, this final chapter is a long one. So at least I'll be going out big :) It's IchiRuki and conclusion time ladies and gentlemen, and boys and girls! Hope you guys enjoy Chapter 689 - A Perfect End :)**

* * *

 **Bleach 689. A Perfect End**

* * *

It was almost midnight, and Ichigo had just finished brushing his teeth and using the bathroom and was now entering his bedroom. The curtains were drawn slightly, allowing light from the moon outside to illuminate his bed, desk and other pieces of furniture. The now lieutenant Soul Reaper went over and sat on his bed. He was tired, brought on by being full from all of the food he had eaten tonight.

He and Rukia would be sharing his room tonight. His father had been adament about Rukia staying over tonight, and after insisting her constantly throughout dinner, she finally agreed. Ichigo was surprised at how little she resisted Isshin's bugging her of the subject. He assumed that Rukia, as the soon-to-be new captain of Squad Thirteen, would want to return to the Soul Society immediately after the celebrations to help with rebuilding the Seireitei. But then he reasoned that by the time she left it would've been late at night, and Ichigo doubted that the Soul Reapers would still be working at that time. Renji had left the party early, so he could rest up for tomorrow's rebuilding assignment.

As he waited for Rukia, Ichigo took a moment to look around his moonlit bedroom. In one week, he would be leaving to live in the Seireitei, and he would no longer call this room his. The thought made him a little sad actually. _"Hard to believe... that in one week, I'll be leaving all this behind..."_ he thought to himself. It was in this room where he first met Rukia now that he thought about it, where he first learned about Soul Reapers and Hollows, and after realizing this, Ichigo felt that he was going to miss this old room. He had some fond memories of this place...

Ichgio shook his head to banish those thoughts. He had made up his mind, and he wouldn't change it because of fond memories. It was time for Ichigo to move on.

Ichigo turned and propped his legs onto his bed, the better to look out his window. As he watched the nighttime activities going on outside, he thought back to some of the events that had happened during their impromptu dinner party.

After Chad had arrived, he offered to help Yuzu with cooking so Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro could take time to talk with Ichigo and Rukia. Nothing really spectacular happened tonight appart from your typical get together between family and friends. It was just a nice, impromptu gathering to celebrate Ichigo's last week at home before leaving. It had been a long time since Ichigo's classmates had seen Rukia, so they took turns asking her questions about what she had been up to, which she was happy to answer. Renji also got in on the conversation, answering any questions that Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro had for him. Tatsuki in particular was very interested in what Renji talked about, to the point that the two spent a good hour or so getting to know one another after the questionaire had long ended. Ichigo had noticed this, wondering what had caused his oldest friend to take such an interest in his rival. He put the matter out of his mind a moment later as Yuzu announced that dinner was ready.

The only truly incredible thing to happen tonight was when Uryu and Orihime finally arrived. They had changed clothes, and Orihime had a glowing smile on her face when she and Uryu entered the living room. This had confused Ichigo and Rukia, as it had only been a few hours since the former had rejected Orihime's feelings, which Ichigo still felt guilty over. But then they and everyone else noticed that the two newcomers were holding hands, and then Orihime told her friends that she and Uryu would be seeing each other, leaving Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Chad, Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo all flabberghasted.

Ichigo just stared in disbelief at Uryu, asking him silently if this was true. The Quincy replied by blushing, chuckling nervously and pushing his glasses up his face. Rukia looked between the new couple with wide eyes, before she screamed ecstatically and rushed over to offer her congratulations, and pressed them about how this came about. Keigo glared at Uryu pitfully as angry tears rolled down his face, clearly jealous about Orihime resting her head on the nerdy Quincy's shoulder and holding his hand. Mizuiro chuckled and offered a comforting pat on his friend's shoulder, while Chad and Renji both smiled at Orihime and Uryu's newfound relationship.

Tatsuki however, had taken Orihime aside to ask what she was doing. Orihime explained to her best friend that she had told Ichigo about her feelings for him, but that he had turned her down. Tatsuki turned slowly to shoot Ichigo the death glare, petrifying the Soul Reaper, and was close to marching over there to throttle him for turning down her best friend. Thankfully, Orihime stopped her and explained that afterward Uryu was there to comfort her, that she decided to move on from Ichigo, and that that was when things just happened between her and Uryu. Tatsuki stood confused, and asked Orihime if she was thinking clearly about her decision. But Orihime assured her that she was certain about this. Tatsuki finally calmed down and decided to except her best friend's decision, but nonetheless turned to let Uryu know that she'd be watching him for a bit, and that if he didn't tow the line with Orihime, she threatened to unleash all of her martial arts skills on his Quincy ass. Uryu understood and nodded fearfully.

The rest of the night was simply Ichigo and his friends and family enjoying the wonderful meal Yuzu and Chad had worked so hard on, and talking about random topics for the next two hours. Around eleven, Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, Orihime, Uryu and Chad left so they rest up for school tomorrow. The latter three were sure to get an earful from their furious teachers about missing the last several days of school, especially Uryu since he was their class president, and Orihime, who was a model student. Ichigo decided that he would go to school the next day to let his teachers know that he would be dropping out, and had already come up with an excuse: that he would be moving to another city to work a new job. The Soul Reaper hoped that would suffice.

Ichigo continued looking out through his window at the many lit street lamps outside. Things appeared quiet apart from the nighttime insects making their noises and the distant sounds of cars, and for once he couldn't detect the spirit energies of any Hollows. Ichigo enjoyed the peaceful surroundings, and hoped that they would last for a long time. He was brought out of his thoughts by a familiar voice behind him.

"What're you thinking about?" Ichigo turned his head at Rukia's voice, and he felt his heart leap at what he saw.

Rukia stood at the entrance of his room, clad in nothing but a T-shirt that appeared way too large for her. The shirt was white, with purple sleeves, and upon closer look Ichigo recognized it as one of his shirts. It was large enough on the woman that it covered her lower abdomen, stopping just above mid-thigh. The result of this was that it showed off Rukia's shapely legs. Ichigo turned red as he couldn't help but stare at them. The shirt's collar was rather loose, so Rukia's neck and shoulders were left exposed. Her hair was damp and the scent of soap hung in the air around them. She had just gotten out of the shower.

"What's the matter with you?" Rukia frowned. Ichigo shook his head and answered.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. Why're you wearing one of my shirts?"

At this, Rukia's face turned red. "Your sister didn't have a spare set of pajamas for me to borrow this time, so your father just gave me one of your shirts to wear." she was surprised at how well one of Ichigo's shirts fit her. While the collar was a little loose for her liking, it went down a good ways and covered up a good portion of her body. "You... You don't mind, do you?"

Did she really ask that, Ichigo thought? What guy wouldn't get turned on by an attractive woman wearing one of his shirts as a nightshirt? He shook his head roughly. Did he really just think that? After regaining his composure, Ichigo replied "Nah, it's cool with me."

Rukia smirked. "Good! Cause there was no way I was going to sleep here naked." she teased, making Ichigo blush and stare blankly. "Or were you hoping for that?"

"NO!" Ichigo roared in embarrassment. Rukia roll her eyes.

"Relax, you pansy. I was kidding." said the captain as she walked toward Ichigo's closet. "Anyway, let's get some sleep. I have to leave early tomorrow morning so I can help the Seireitei."

"Um, Rukia..." Ichigo said suddenly. "Where do you plan on sleeping?"

Rukia stopped her hand above Ichigo's closet door and turned to her lieutenant. "What do you mean?" she asked curiously. "In your closet, like I did before."

Ichigo chuckled. "Yeeeeah, about that-" he started as Rukia finally opened the closet, and saw that her usual sleeping spot inside was no longer there. "That was almost two years ago. We got rid of that matress after I lost my powers."

Rukia stared blankly at the closet before turning to Ichigo. "W-Well, do you have a spare so I can sleep on the floor, at least?" Ichigo shook his head. Rukia breathed a sigh. "Well, looks like we don't have a choice..."

Ichigo's eyebrow raised. Rukia's face was flushed again, and she felt her heart was beating slightly. What she said next almost made Ichigo's heart stop.

"We'll have to share your bed."

Ichigo's eyes widened, and his face was so red that Rukia thought his head had transformed into a tomato. Ichigo's heart rate also increased. "WHAT!" he practically shouted before covering his mouth, nervous about waking his family up. "Are you nuts?!" he snapped in a quieter tone.

"Why? What's wrong with that?" Rukia asked Ichigo curiously.

"What's wrong with that?" Ichigo repeated in shock. "Do you even know what you just asked me?!"

"Well, do you have any better suggestions?" Rukia asked, crossing her arms. Ichigo merely stared bashfully at the tiny, attractive Soul Reaper captain, unable to think of an alternative. Rukia continued, but more softly this time. "Relax, it'll just be for tonight. God I forgot just how innocent you are. I can only imagine your reaction to seeing a woman naked." she teased with a smirk.

Ichigo was again shocked by Rukia's statement. He turned away shiftily, reminded of the two times he had seen a naked woman. The first was Yoruichi two years ago during his Bankai training, and the other was recently in Tenjiro Kirinji's White Bone Hell springs, when he... well, Rukia didn't need to know that he had seen her butt. That memory made Ichigo blush again. Thankfully, Rukia hadn't noticed his daydreaming.

"I'm tired. Let's get some sleep." Rukia yawned. Ichigo couldn't believe how casual Rukia was being about this. Wasn't she nervous? or disgusted at the idea of sleeping with a guy? He sighed and put the matter out his head before climbing into bed, laying on his side. Rukia got in next and within an hour things became quiet.

* * *

Ichigo tried to sleep, but his nerves were keeping him awake. He had never slept so close to a woman before, and he was still having a hard time believing that Rukia had no problems with this arrangement. Ichigo was laying on his back, and turned his neck to see the back of Rukia, sleeping on her side. She was breathing steadily, so Ichigo assumed that she was asleep.

As Ichigo continued gazing at his new captain, he found himself thinking of her. He and Rukia had been through a lot since meeting two years ago. From meeting her, to receiving her Soul Reaper powers in order to save his sisters. From him showing her around the human world, to her training him on fighting Hollows. When Rukia had been taken to Soul Society and charged with treason, Ichigo hadn't hesitated to regain his lost Soul Reaper powers so he could rescue her. Because he owed his life to her, because they had become friends, Ichigo took on the entire Soul Society to prevent Rukia from being executed.

During that time, Ichigo had told everyone that the reason he needed to save Rukia was because he owed her a debt, for giving him the power to protect his family and friends. That wasn't untrue. He did feel like he owed her for saving his life by saving her's, but now... almost two years later... he could admit to himself that there had been another reason for wanting to save her. A more personal reason.

During that time. Ichigo had fallen for Rukia.

After his battle with Aizen and losing his Soul Reaper powers, he would no longer be able to see Rukia until seventeen months later when she helped him regain his lost powers. He tried to convince himself that it was for the best, and tried to live a normal life, but no matter what parts of his Soul Reaper life he wanted to put behind him, he could never forget Rukia. When they had finally reunited, Ichigo had been in a state where he had lost all hope, and Rukia did the one thing that she knew would snap him out of his funk: Smacked him upside his head before scolding him. Ichigo had appreciated it, as Rukia was someone who knew him well enough to make him get a grip, and he was able to defeat Ginjo partially because of it. Old feelings began to bubble up again after seventeen months, and Ichigo was happy to see Rukia again.

And now here he was, sleeping in the same bed with the woman who had changed his life forever. Ichigo turned onto his side so his entire body was facing Rukia's backside. They were both under the covers, and that realization made Ichigo blush. However he noticed that despite being under the blanket, Rukia appeared to be shivering slightly. His shirt was big on her after all and it left her shoulders practically bare. Instinctively, Ichigo moved the blanket up to cover her shoulders before getting closer and wrapping an arm around Rukia's waist.

Ichigo's face was firey red by this point. He couldn't believe how close he was to Rukia now. He heard her breath another sigh in her sleep, but she had stopped shivering now. Ichigo smiled as he continued holding Rukia in a protective way. Then... he said it.

"I love you." he whispered before shutting his eyes to try and get some sleep.

"Do you mean that?"

Ichigo's eyes shot wide open and he almost screamed. Rukia had been awake? Ichigo was so stunned that he had let go of her and scooted away instinctively. His heart rate was going crazy and his face was scarlet. Now he was afraid, he had taken advantage of a sleeping Rukia and now he knew, he was going to die because of it. However, he didn't have anything to worry about as Rukia turned over to look at Ichigo, and to his shock, she was smiling.

"Well..." Rukia whispered, still awating an answer from Ichigo.

Ichigo stared at Rukia like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment before his expression softened. If she was smiling, than he assumed that he had nothing to worry about. "Yeah... I meant it..." Ichigo replied before asking her cautiously. "And how bout you...?"

Rukia continued grinning as she said softly. "What do you think, Strawberry?"

Ichigo smirked. He wanted to maintain his cool, but on the inside he was ecstatic. "I think I know now why you had no problem sharing my bed."

"Took you long enough." Rukia continued teasing.

Ichigo and Rukia suddenly drew closer to each other before the former spoke. "How long have you felt this way?"

"Since shortly after meeting you." Rukia replied softly. "You reminded me of Kaien back then, but ever since I've become fond of how much you've grown, as a Soul Reaper and a person. What about you?"

"The same time I guess." Ichigo responded as he and Rukia drew ever closer. "You changed my life, and I kinda liked spending all that time with you. That's one of the reasons I tried so hard to save you from being killed."

Ichigo and Rukia were face-to-face now, staring into each other's eyes as they admitted their feelings. "I thought of you all the time," Rukia began. Ichigo could feel her breath on his lips they were that close. "after you lost your powers to Aizen."

"You're not the only one." Ichigo sighed before he finally summoned the courage to press his lips against Rukia's.

Two years of pent up emotion were finally unleashed as Ichigo and Rukia continued their kiss. Ichigo wrapped his muscular arms around Rukia's tiny frame and she held his face. While the kiss didn't get too heated, there was still plenty of passion in it. Before they knew it, Ichigo had found himself on top of Rukia, and her legs had wrapped around his waist. They continued making out like this for a moment before the need for air arose and Ichigo and Rukia finally separated.

"So, do you wanna make things official?" Ichigo suddenly asked Rukia.

"Isn't it too soon for that, though?" Rukia replied in confusion, making both teens blush at the very idea of sex.

"That's not what I meant!" exclaimed an embarrassed Ichigo. "I just meant to ask... Do you wanna get together?"

Now it was Rukia's turn to be embarrassed. "Oh... well, of course. Otherwise I would've punched your lights out when you said you loved me."

"Really? Even if we're going to be captain and lieutenant of an entire Squad? Won't that complicate things?"

"We'll make it work, Ichigo. I've waited too long for this to care about things like that."

Ichigo smirked. "That's good, cause I've waited a long time to do this." he leaned down and kissed Rukia again. The two Soul Reaper officers continued their passionate embrace until they were out of breath again. Then the two layed down and eventually fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next day, Rukia had left to return to the Soul Society to help rebuild the Seireitei. Ichigo stayed back to spend his remaining time as a human with his friends and family. First he went to school to let Ms. Ochi know that he'd be dropping out and moving away, then he went over to see Ms. Ikumi after school to tell her about him moving away too. Both Ms. Ochi and Ms. Ikumi didn't take this news so well initially for obvious reasons, but they soon understood and wished the teenager luck with whatever he decided to do. With his errands over, Ichigo was free to spend his remaining time in the World of the Living with his friends and family. He walked in the park with Yuzu, played Soccer with Karin, punched out his dad when he was being annoying, went on double dates with Orihime and Uryu when Rukia would visit, hung out with Chad, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro at their favorite hang-out spots, and even spent the last day burying his body in a secret location with his father so Kon wouldn't take advantage of him not using it.

In what seemed like only a short time, one week ended.

* * *

In the Seireitei, every Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads was assembled in the Head Captain's Meeting Chamber. Head Captain Shunsui Kyoraku, Soi Fon, Rose, Shinji, Byakuya, Kensei, Toshiro Hitsugaya, Kenpachi, Mayuri, and recently promoted Captains Isane, Love and Lisa, stood among each other in two lines with Shunsui up front and center.

"Alright!" exclaimed Shunsui Kyoraku. "We will now commence the promotion of the last captain."

Every captain turned to the doors as they began to open on their own. In stepped Rukia Kuchiki, now clad in the white robes of a Captain, with the symbol of Squad Thirteen on the back. She appeared very nervous and she was careful not to trip as she approached.

Rukia looked over to see her brother. For a moment, Byakuya looked as indifferent as he normally does. But then, he showed a rare smile at his adopted sister, feeling proud of Rukia for making it to the rank of Captain. Rukia did her best to hold back tears of joy from seeing how proud Byakuya was of her. Rukia stopped right before her fellow Captains and awaited what would happen next.

The ceremony was pretty simple, Rukia just made the Captain's pledge and signed a document that had been verified by Shunsui and Central 46, with the recommendations of her brother, and Captains Hitsugaya, Zaraki and Hirako. And with that, the ceremony was over.

Shunsui extended his hand forward. "Alright, welcome to the Captain ranks, Rukia Kuchiki." Rukia smiled and shook the Head Captain's hand as the other eleven captains saluted their newest member. Captain Kuchiki spun around and bowed to her fellow captains in appreciation.

"Now then, Rukia." Byakuya spoke with authority.

"Y-Yes, Captain!" Rukia muttered loudly, but nervously. Even now with the two of them being captains, Rukia was still slightly intimidated by her brother.

"Have you decided on a Lieutenant?" Byakuya asked, getting the other captains attention. "You still, even after a week, have not told us who you plan on choosing to be your Right-Hand."

Rukia was silent for a moment. Shunsui had wanted the identity of her lieutenant to be a mystery until today, so for the entire week she didn't tell anyone who she had chosen, not even Byakuya. Even when the Head of the Kuchiki Family asked Renji, he would lie and say that he didn't know. Earlier, Isane had chosen her sister Kiyone as her new lieutenant, so she would be leaving Squad Thirteen for Squad Four, Lisa had chosen the original Third Seat of Squad Eight as her's and Love already had Tetsuzaemon as his. Curiosity was mounting among the captains for who Rukia would choose.

"Well, Captain Kuchiki?" Toshiro spoke somewhat coldly.

Rukia turned to Shunsui, who nodded, then turned back to look at her brother. "Yes, Byakuya. He's actually standing just outside the room." This information surprised Byakuya. Rukia looked past him toward the front doors. "Oi! You can come in now, Lieutenant!"

Byakuya, Toshiro and the other captains spun around as the doors swung open. A young man with orange hair entered, wearing his usual shuhakusho uniform with a giant Zanpakuto in it's Shikai form strapped to his back. He looked exactly like he normally does as a Soul Reaper, with the only thing different about him being the brand new lieutenant's badge tied to his left shoulder.

The captains had varying reactions to Rukia's Lieutenant. Captains like Soi Fon, Mayuri and Toshiro stood wide-eyed in complete shock, while others like Shinji and Kenpachi stood there smiling in amusement. Byakuya stared at his sister's new lieutenant like he couldn't believe who he was seeing, but then he smirked. Shunsui raised his head up, grinned and played along with the surprise.

"I see... Very well then. Welcome to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Lieutenant Kurosaki."

Ichigo stood there as the Head Captain welcomed him. After the greeting, Lieutenant Ichigo Kurosaki smiled, clearly happy to be accepted among the Squad.

* * *

After Ichigo and Rukia were welcomed to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, other things began happening throughout the multiple worlds.

At Karakura High School, Chad sat at his classroom desk talking with Keigo and Mizuiro. Mere seconds later, in walked Uryu and Orihime, the new power couple of the school (much to the male student population's envy), with Tatsuki entering the class right behind them. Orihime and Uryu held hands as they and Tatsuki walked over to greet their friends. The six teenagers spent the next few minutes talking before their class started.

Isshin Kurosaki walked through the park with Yuzu and Karin. Yuzu enjoyed feeding some nearby ducks, while Karin was dribbling her soccer ball. As Isshin stood by smiling at his daughters having fun, he looked up into the sky, and the image of Masaki Kurosaki came to him. The former captain was happy that Masaki could finally rest in peace, and he hoped his son would do well following in his footsteps.

At Urahara's Candy Shop, Jinta and Ururu were taking a break to watch Don Kanonji as he attempted his next spirit cleansing on the television. While that was happening, Tessai and Yushiro Shihoin, who had been brought there to heal after the battle with Askin Nakk Le Vaar, kneeled with their ears pressed against the door to Kisuke's room, listening to the sounds going on between Kisuke and Yoruichi inside. Their faces turned scarlet when they heard Yoruichi moan loudly, unfortunately they were soon busted when Yoruichi opened the door, her hair was down and she wore nothing but a tanktop and panties, she glared down at the two eavesdroppers before throttling them. Kisuke, shirtless and looking flushed, peaked out his room to watch Yoruichi until she was done. After she was done, Yoruichi re-entered Kisuke's room so they could continue their private moment in peace.

Back in the Soul Society, officers from Squad Six watched as Renji single-handedly stacked up his own debris pile in one of the destroyed squares. After wiping his brow, Renji turned to his captain, who had already activated Senbonsakura Kageyoshi to clean up the giant pile of ruined Seireitei building pieces. A minute later, the pile was gone, cut down into dust. Byakuya then dismissed Renji for the rest of the day, since he had been working hard. Ecstatic, Renji thanked his captain before running off. He had somewhere he needed to be tonight and he didn't want to miss it.

In the Seireitei, near Squad Ten's barracks, Momo stood talking with Toshiro Hitsugaya. The miniature captain's face appeared flushed as he was having a hard time finding anything to say to his oldest friend and love interest. Luckily for him, Rangiku was there to give him the push he needed, literally. Smirking, The sexy Squad Ten lieutenant pushed her captain right into the arms of Momo. Toshiro's eyes widened and his blush increased as he continued holding Momo, who was also red in the face, but at least she was giggling. Rangiku smirked triumphantly as Toshiro gave a rare smile at Momo.

Kon was sneaking around the Seireitei. His goal was to get to the Senkaimon Gate so he could return to Karakura Town to look for Ichigo's body. With him no longer needing it, the stuffed animal could have free reign to use it as he sees fit. It was too bad that Rukia and Ichigo himself had both caught him on the way, and decided to let the gate guards know to never let Kon pass through the Senkaimon.

Kenpachi Zaraki was running around the streets of the Seireitei with Yachiru riding on his back. Now that Ichigo was part of the Soul Society, he was going to take as many opportunities to fight him as he could. The only problem was that he had no idea where Ichigo had run off to after the Captain's ceremony. He was following Yachiru's directions like normal, but he kept running into dead ends or onto streets he had already gone down. Ikkaku and Yumichika just watched their captain run around in circles from the rooftops, amused that Yachiru had once again succeeded in getting Kenpachi lost.

At the Department of Research and Development, Mayuri was overseeing the operations of the rebuilding process as Akon, Hiyosu and Rin worked at their respective stations. Then, the newly reconstructed Nemu Kurotsuchi entered the lab with drinks for the staff. Mayuri stood observing the new body of his daughter and smiled to himself, secretly happy to see that Nemu had retained her original personality despite the new body.

At Squad Five's barracks, Shinji was treating all of his Vizard friends to some saki in celebration for Love and Lisa's promotions as captains. He, Love, Lisa, Hachi, Kensei, Mashiro, Rose and Izuru, who was taking a break from rebuilding to join them at Rose's request, toasted their drinks. But before Shinji could take a sip, Hiyori had bashed Shinji upside the head, wondering furiously where her drink was. This caused another argument to break out between the captain and lieutenant, to which the other Vizards were amused by.

In a small classroom close to Squad Thirteen's headquarters, Ryunosuke Yuki and Shino were stuck learning more about Hollows and Quincies from their instructor, Zennosuke Kurumadani, with Squad Thirteen Third Seat Sentaro Kotsubaki watching to make sure Kurumadani taught them better this time. The two rookies were forced to re-learn the basics before they could go out into the field again, due to their poor first performance against the Hollows in Karakura Town.

In Rukongai, a freshly-healed Jidanbo was helping some of the residents with rebuilding their homes after the first invasion of the Vandenreich. Guilt had been eating away at the giant after PePe Waccabrada had him under his control and caused him to damage parts of the Soul Society, so he wanted to do everything he could to help. Thankfully, no one seemed to hold this against him, and the citizens of the various districts came together to help an appreciative Jidanbo with his task.

At the Squad Four Hospital Wing, Marechiyo Omaeda was hugging his newly healed little sister after his family had been discharged. Soi Fon stood close by watching the Omaeda family reunion with a smile. In another part of the barracks, Hanataro was carrying a tray of supplies before he tripped over nothing. Luckily for him, new Squad Four lieutenant Kiyone Kotetsu stopped him from landing on his face. The contact with the girl caused Hanataro to blush and shiver nervously. The two were being secretly watched by Isane, who smiled at her sister and helper's interaction.

At a grave site outside the Seireitei, a wolf sat in front of Kaname Tosen's grave. Sajin, despite no longer being a captain, would always remember his best friend, even as a full-fledged wolf. As he had his head bowed sadly, Sajin heard footsteps stop at his sides. He looked up in surprise to see Shuhei and Tetsuzaemon standing next to him. Sajin and Kaname's former lieutenants smiled down at the wolf. The three stayed together at Kaname's grave until the sun started to set.

At another gravesite, this one within the Seireitei, Head Captain Kyoraku stood in front of four graves that had only just recently been made. Nanao and Okikiba watched as Kyoraku payed his respects to his deceased mentor and best friend, Head Captain Yamamoto and Captain Ukitake respectively, as well as Lieutenant Sasakibe and Captain Unohana. After paying his respects to the four fallen officers, Shunsui, Nanao and Okikiba left.

Outside the Seireitei, at Kukaku's Training Hall, Ganju was having a hand-to-hand training session against Ginjo Kugo. The deceased Fullbringer was easily outmatching the youngest Shiba, much to Kukaku Shiba's amusement and Ganju's irritation. Kukaku sat at her new bar, with Shukuro Tsukishima sitting close by reading his book and Giriko Kutsuzawa serving them drinks.

High above the Soul Society at the restored Soul King Palace, Oetsu Nimaiya, Senjumaru Shutara, Tenjiro Kirinji and Kirio Hikifune bowed down in front of the newly appointed Soul King. Ichibe Hyobuse stood in front of his fellow Squad Zero captains with his arms crossed. With Reio dead, and because he was the most powerful man in the Soul Society, Ichibe decided to succeed Reio as the new Soul King. The job would be hard, but the captains were confident in his abilities to prevent the balance of the worlds from collapsing.

Back in the World of the Living, Riruka and Yukio were playing video games at the former's mansion, which Riruka had recently returned home to, much to her family's relief. After Yukio had once again beaten the ill-tempered Fullbringer, Riruka threw a tantrum and accused Yukio of cheating. The blonde boy merely rolled his eyes and suggested that Riruka get better, which riled up the redhead even more and instigated another competition between the two.

Meanwhile in Hueco Mundo, Dordoni, Cirucci, Luppi and Charlotte, now stitch-free, had returned to Las Noches after their debt to Mayuri Kurotsuchi had been fulfilled, and were now standing with Gantenbainne Mosqueda, Loly and Menoly before Tier Harribel as she sat at her throne, with Appachi, Mila Rose and Sung-Sun standing close by the Queen of Hueco Mundo. Tier had decided to make them all part of her new order in Hueco Mundo. However, their celebration was cut short when Pesche and Dondochakka had arrived and made fun of Charlotte's feminine looks and Cirucci's hair. Enraged, the two arrancars chased Neliel's friends throughout the throne room as everybody watched in either disbelief or amusement.

Above Las Noches, two Espadas sat next to each other on top of the dome roof after a day of training. Grimmjow and Neliel looked out over the horizon at the endless desert surrounding the castle, and the moon that always hovered over Hueco Mundo. Grimmjow looked indifferent as he leaned back, unfortunately his hand fell on top of Nel's. Both Espadas turned to each other and blushed. Grimmjow turned away to hide his embarassed face, while Nel smiled and set her head on Grimmjow's shoulder. She was pleased that he didn't pull away.

Back in Karakura Town, Uryu and Orihime were on a date in the park, sitting underneath a tree by the pond. They were quiet, and just took the time enjoying each other's company. Orihime smiled and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. Uryu grinned and held his girlfriend protectively as they rested underneath their tree peacefully. They had stayed like this until the sun started to set.

Ryuken sat in his chair at the hospital, smoking a cigarette and looking out the window at the setting sun. He thought about his wife, his father, and finally his son, before he smiled. Thanks to Uryu, Ryuken Ishida had finally found peace in his heart, and he was looking forward to rebuilding a relationship with his son.

It was nighttime in Karakura Town, and in a small restaurant, Tatsuki sat at a table by herself. After a few minutes, she looked up to see her date finally arrive. Renji Abarai, wearing his Gigai and casual clothing, sat down on the other side of Tatsuki. After Renji found out about Ichigo and Rukia, he felt a little depressed. He had liked Rukia for a long time and it hurt for a little bit, but like Orihime, he decided to move on. Then, last week while Renji was visiting, Tatsuki had asked him if he wanted to go on a date with her. Renji was a little surprised, Tatsuki was a human after all and he wasn't sure how this could work. But he liked talking with her during Ichigo's going away party, so he thought why not? It was just a date after all. The two got their first date underway, and had a good time eating and talking together for the next couple hours.

* * *

It had been a full day since Rukia had been promoted to Squad Thirteen's Captain, and Ichigo and Rukia sat on a cliff side outside the Seireitei. There was a lake in the distance, surrounded by forests. This spot was one of Jushiro Ukitake's favorite places to enjoy some peace and quiet, so after another day of rebuilding the Seireitei, Rukia decided to invite Ichigo out here on a clear, moonlit night to take his mind off their work.

"How're you ajusting to things, Ichigo?" Rukia asked her lieutenant and boyfriend. Ichigo turned to look at the tiny captain and grinned.

"I'll be alright." Ichigo replied quietly. "It's just a little weird, not waking up in my old room. Or in Karakura Town for once."

Rukia frowned. "Are you having second-" she tried to say before Ichigo cut her off.

"No I'm not. I said it's a little weird, I wasn't saying that because I was feeling homesick or anything." Ichigo explained with a frown. "Have I ever told you you worry to much? It's kinda annoying actually."

Rukia glared at him, and she was about to shout something at him. But she changed her mind last minute and chuckled lightly. This made Ichigo raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"It's just... It's nice that even though I'm your captain, you're still being your usual self with me." Rukia said, scooting closer to her Strawberryhead. "I'm glad your doing that, Ichigo."

Ichigo blinked in confusion before his expression softened. He wrapped an arm around Rukia and the two spent the next couple of minutes looking out into the night. The moon was reflected on the lake's surface in the distance, and they saw several trails of sparkles, which they recognized as the flutters of Hell's Butterflies, flutter around the sky and forest.

"I'm glad you asked me to be your lieutenant Rukia." Ichigo finally spoke after a few minutes. Rukia looked up into his face and smiled as Ichigo looked down at her.

"It's good to have you here..." Rukia whispered as her lips puckered, signaling for Ichigo to kiss her. He granted her wish and lowered his neck down to her level to give Rukia a kiss on the lips. The female captain suddenly moved to where she was sitting on her lieutenant's lap, and continued making out with Ichigo as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her tiny waist.

A Hell's Butterfly flew past Ichigo and Rukia as it fluttered off toward the moon, signifying a new era of peace for not just the Soul Society, but for the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo too. Within several years, the Seireitei would be rebuilt to what it once was, and the number of Soul Reapers would eventually return to normal. There would be peace between the Soul Reapers and Arrancars, with only rogue Hollows ever causing trouble for Soul Society and Karakura Town, but with Ichigo and his friends and allies by his side, they would overcome all future challenges. Thanks to Ichigo Kurosaki, all would be well for a long time.

* * *

 **The End**

* * *

 **And that is that! This story is done and done! Did you guys enjoy it? I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself for writing this story. As someone who had never written a story based on an Anime/Manga before this, I think I did a pretty good job and I'm quite proud of myself for trying something new. Not only that, but I'm so happy that so many Bleach fans have liked my story. That made me feel really good, like I had actually done the story and characters justice. Thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited and followed Bleach: Volume 75 - The End, you make this ordinary pizza delivery driver who writes fanfics in his spare time proud :)**

 **So how did everyone like the IchiRuki hook-up? Was it in character enough? What about everybody's ending? I think I covered everybody important so hopefully I didn't leave anybody out. If I did, I'm sorry. Also, even though I'm currently ending this story here, I may end up writing that Epilogue at some point. I can't promise anything, but if there's enough fan support for it or if I get the desire to, I may write it.**

 **But anyway, thank you all for reading Bleach Vol. 75 and let me know what you thought by leaving a review. Peace out ya'll :D**


End file.
